Hartley gets thanked by team despite being axed after one season

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost has thanked his driver Brendon Hartley for his efforts during his slightly-over-a-year-long stint at the team, as the Kiwi will get replaced by Alexander Albon in 2019.

Hartley was seemingly on the verge of getting axed for a long part of the season, as his volatile driving can make for some excellent drives but also for some really unnecessary crashes. 

The now 29-year-old made his debut in F1 at 27 years old in 2017 after impressively winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier that year for Porsche. He completed the last four races of the season before driving his first full season in 2018.

This season was a frustrating one for Hartley, as a series of very bad luck was then accompanied by the occasional mistake. Pierre Gasly's excellent first full season in the garage next to him didn't help either, and Toro Rosso eventually decided to give up on Hartley, and bring in rookie Alexander Albon.

“We would like to thank Brendon for his hard work with the team," Tost said on Toro Rosso's website.

"It was not an easy task to move from sports cars to Formula 1, especially at short notice.

“His consistency over the final four races of 2017 earned him a 2018 race seat and, while ultimately we were not able to continue into 2019, he has been a key part of the team and aided the development of the Honda powertrain.  

“We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

It's not known yet what Hartley will do in 2019, but he could potentially still have a role at the team.