{"id":2475,"date":"2017-10-23T07:09:56","date_gmt":"2017-10-23T11:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=2475"},"modified":"2017-10-25T14:36:47","modified_gmt":"2017-10-25T18:36:47","slug":"13th-place-enough-brendon-hartley-impress-toro-rosso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2017\/10\/23\/13th-place-enough-brendon-hartley-impress-toro-rosso\/","title":{"rendered":"Was 13th Place Enough for Brendon Hartley to Impress Toro Rosso?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When called into the Scuderia\u00a0Toro Rosso<\/strong> Formula 1 team, New Zealander Brendon Hartley<\/strong> was both coming home<\/em>, but also debuting yet again. Having already been a\u00a0Red Bull Racing<\/strong>\u00a0team member and a Toro Rosso development driver, he was asked to fill an empty seat left by\u00a0Pierre Gasly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Was 13th Place Enough for Brendon Hartley to Impress Toro Rosso?<\/h1>\n

The call-up for the just completed American US Grand Prix<\/em><\/a> was his ‘job interview’ and he appeared to do exceptionally well. Finishing a race that other more fancied men could not, the Le Mans winner seemed to check off the boxes required to impress.<\/p>\n

Without the advantage of an F2 or tier-one open wheel class championship, Hartley has had to audition as an import. A man who was handed a 50 page manual, a time in the simulator and then ‘the keys to an F1 car’. Wow, it is what dreams are made of.<\/p>\n

He finished his first full Grand Prix. His 13th place was outside the rostrum, outside the top ten, but it was a demonstration of what he holds. So, for Toro Rosso chief Franz Tost<\/strong>, the decision comes down to analyzing the data.<\/p>\n

Was 13th Place Enough for Brendon Hartley to Impress Toro Rosso?<\/h3>\n

Tost had already intimated to RadioSport<\/em> in New Zealand, that Hartley was performing well.\u00a0The team Principal said when interviewed “he’s shown a huge improvement from when he was Toro Rosso’s test driver in 2009,” and mentioned how Brendon Hartley had gelled well with the team.<\/p>\n

Tost says “if Hartley continues to show improvement, then he’ll be a driver for them next year.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Not an official contract, but the endorsement is supported by a recommendation from Daniel Riccardo. The Australian telling motorsport.com<\/a> that\u00a0“when I found out about it, I was super stoked for him. We are all competitors, but I feel like we’ve been through quite a bit, him in particular.<\/p>\n

“It will probably sound like I’m a bit biased because I’m a friend, but as far as the older drivers go, he’s deserving. He [Hartley] 100 percent deserves his F1 shot.”<\/p>\n

Hartley Caps Off Great Weekend for Toro Rosso<\/h3>\n

On Saturday, he finished the US Grand Prix practice as the 18th fastest driver–even while his team had been penalized for a technical infringement. That meant Hartley started yesterday’s race from the back of the field.<\/p>\n

So from 20th position, he made up seven places. That is impressive, and with\u00a0Fernando Alonso<\/strong>, Nico Hulkenberg<\/strong>, Pascal Wehrlein<\/strong>\u00a0and Red Bull Racing driver Daniel Riccardo<\/strong> all not finishing, he completed a testing race.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Austin ‘Circuit of the Americas’ track is very different when driving a Formula One car, than it would be to a Porsche\u00a0World Endurance Championship car. But after the race, Tost was glowing.<\/p>\n

Now the decision is Scuderia Toro Rosso’s to make.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Will Hartley be invited to drive in this week’s Mexican Grand Prix<\/strong>? And will that then lead to a 2018 contract?<\/p>\n

The Future Looks Bright for New Zealand Born Driver<\/h3>\n

Without the financial backing that Gasly brought, the call to go with Hartley will likely be on talent alone. Like a Lewis Hamilton<\/strong> or Sebastian Vettel<\/strong>, the element of promise<\/em> might be the selling point. Hartley has numerous category championships and a coveted Le Mans title behind him.<\/p>\n

Plus, Hartley is integrated into the organization: a former development driver, he will have relationships that would have been improved over the weekend. Not a case of first impression, but reinforcing decision makers opinions of his character, and his ability.<\/p>\n

Daniil Kvyat<\/strong> may also be an influencing voice. Team mates know finite information, and if Hartley offered knowledge and complimented the dynamic, that will also help.<\/p>\n

But from the viewpoint of a small nation, if Brendon Hartley can re-establish the credibility of Kiwi drivers, it will benefit the entire sport. It would benefit Hayden Padden<\/strong>—Hyundai World Rally driver<\/a>; Shane Van Gisbergen<\/strong>—Supercar 2016 champion<\/a>. And the name McLaren<\/strong> still holds sway in Formula One.<\/p>\n

So wish Brendon all the best. He has lived out his boyhood dream. He has also performed exceptionally well, in the highest form<\/em> of Motorsports. And, he has looked comfortable in doing it.\u00a0And that cool aura may be his biggest quality. The US Grand Prix did not overpower him, in fact he finished his debut race.<\/p>\n

So, was 13th place enough for Brendon Hartley to impress Toro Rosso?<\/h4>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>