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Toro Rosso has confirmed that Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley will form its line-up for the 2018 Formula 1 season. The announcement now means that Sauber and Williams are the only teams left on the field that are yet to confirm their drivers for next season.
Gasly made his first appearance earlier this year in Malaysia, stepping in for Daniil Kvyat who was dropped from the team. Hartley meanwhile, was brought in at the US Grand Prix weekend, and has seemingly impressed the leading figures at the team.
"We're really happy to have Pierre and Brendon confirmed so early by Red Bull as our drivers for 2018," said team principal Franz Tost. "During this last part of the year they've shown that they're ready for Formula 1, getting to grips with the car quickly, showing good performances and always demonstrating to be prepared for the challenge.
"We have been truly impressed by their steep learning curves. As we know, Formula 1 is something that not all drivers can adapt to this fast! Therefore, we're looking forward to having a full year with them.
"One where we can hopefully provide them with a good package which, combined with driver consistency, can surely put them in the best possible situation to deliver. I'm sure they will keep pushing hard and fight for strong results, together with the team."
Gasly was originally in the running for a seat at the Red Bull junior team in 2016, but missed out when Kvyat was confirmed for another season. Hartley, who was the team's test and reserve driver in 2010, has been racing in LMP1 since 2012.
Both drivers are yet to score their first points in F1 after the team has been hit with a costly case of unreliability in the latter stages of the season.Next season, Honda will switch to Honda before after penning a dal last September.
Fergal Walsh
Grand Prix of Belgium
G. Zhou
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Replies (14)
Login to replyf1fan0101
Posts: 1,804
Good.. Both have showed pretty nice pace, will be interesting to see them developed
talktohenry
Posts: 362
glad for them both as BH must have thought he's never make it to F1, will be interesting if Honda comes together...
mbmwe36
Posts: 533
I've been very underwhelmed by both thus far. But who knows, maybe they'll improve once they are a bit more experienced.
That being said, I don't know what it accomplished swapping dropping Kvyat, who is still young, for Hartley. It was probably to send a message, because Kvyat dared to ask for a decision regarding the lineup.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
Finally a lineup that makes sense. Kvyat's dismissal was long overdue. Sainz had outgrown that seat more than a year ago. My only concern now is performance masking these guy's talent. I am certain Honda will continue to be a dog next year.
mbmwe36
Posts: 533
How does putting a 28 year old rookie in the car make sense? In a junior team, no less.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
@MBMWE36 Simple. 1. He is still a rookie in every sense of the word. 2. He has shown great potential by winning in other very competitive categories. 3. Availability. Red Bull does not have a lot to choose from. Yes... BH is an unusual choice, but I reckon a sensible one nevertheless.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I dont know, Im not convinced yet. True, they were thrown in at the end of the season, and yes, they've driven with severely turned down units, but they havent looked impressive. But time will tell, they deserve the same patience that Palmer's gotten.
About Honda vs Renault: literally anything can happen next year. I doubt Honda can compete against Ferrari next year in terms of power, but they only really need to get up to be on par or better than Renault for TR to be happy, and that shouldnt be impossible.
mbmwe36
Posts: 533
Aj - I'm not following your logic here. How is being a rookie in every sense of the word am advantage when you are competing at the highest level of motorsport?
Well, there are a lot - as in a lot - of guys who have won a shit load of secondary series. Not all of them end up in F1, even if they are in their early twenties.
In terms of availability, I think that's what it is more than anything. Marko wanted to show Kvyat who was boss, and send a message to future drivers that they should ask how high? when he asks them to jump. So he cut off his nose to spite his face.
I'm hoping they'll do well next year once they've had a chance to prepare better, but I'm not holding my breath.
There is nothing I would love more than for Toro Rosso to be able to compete with, and even beat, McLaren. However, at this point, McLaren's driver lineup seems far, far superior.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Me neither, but Im not really holding my breath for anything anymore, hypeboi Dennis taught me that lesson well. But I think its possible. It sort of seems like they ditched Kvyat more to keep face than anything else. We'll have to see how the new drivers perform. Honestly, with or without Kvyat, TR's lineup is far worse than McLaren's. What will decide the rest is the cars.
mbmwe36
Posts: 533
Calle - Yup, because it happened after Kvyat publicly asked for a decision. And they clearly had no plan in place.
Absolutely, McLaren's driver lineup would be superior regardless. I'm still not completely sold on Stoffel, although he's had a solid second part of the season.
I understand why they'd wanna give Gasly a shot, that makes sense all things considered. However, now they're left without a benchmark, and Hartley who can only be described as a question mark at best.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Pretty much. The thing about being without a eeference is something I also thought was a bad move. I wont miss Kvyat, but RB really didnt handle that deal well. Then again, when do they ever do that? I remember Vergne.
Yeah, I havent been impressed by Vandoorne, but time will tell if he has 'it'.
Barron
Posts: 625
Old dog, new tricks comes to mind. I expect Hartley to perform exactly as he did in WEC. Fairly fast and steady. A safe pair of hands. Gasly? Who’s he?
Barron
Posts: 625
This will be the most staid and unexciting pairing on the grid. Talk about a complete 180 since Kvyat & Sainz!
s_ya
Posts: 21
Time will tell ...