Hartley already looking to extend F1 career

Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley is already looking towards staying in Formula One after the end of this season, after he embarked on his first full season in F1 in Melbourne last week.

Hartley finished in 15th position in Australia and is yet to score a point is his short F1 career so far after his unexpected arrival in the sport during the latter parts of 2017.

The New Zealander has spent the last four years of his career in endurance racing with Porsche so his call-up to Toro Rosso came as a surprise to many.

When asked about his future after 2018, Hartley admitted that staying in F1 has “already been on my mind.”

He continued, saying: “It was a dream to have my first debut Grand Prix, then to become a full-time driver, but then very quickly you accept the fact that, OK, I’m in Formula One, how do I make the most of it?

“How do I make the right decisions and work hard enough to keep improving and also prove to everyone that I deserve to be here and stay here?

“Taking it one step at a time, it’s better that I just focus from one race at a time, but I feel a lot more prepared than last year and really ready for this new challenge with Toro Rosso Honda.

“Although it’s been an unconventional path to Formula One, I hope I can show that it was the right one and it worked for me.”