The Curious Case of Brendon Hartley: Red Bull’s Previous Emergency Stop

Thanks to a strange coincidence, Nyck de Vries can make his full-time Formula 1 debut in 2023. The Dutchman will then drive for AlphaTauri, the continuation of the team that went through life as Toro Rosso. A similar type of remarkable transfer deal took place five years ago at this racing stable.

Brendon Hartley’s entry into Formula 1 has similarities to that of De Vries. The now 32-year-old New Zealander stumbled headlong into the premier class in the 2017 Formula 1 season when no one gave a dime for his chances of securing a seat. Today, GPToday.net looks back on the events that led to a special entry five years ago.

jerk

It’s early 2006 and a long-haired, blond and slightly clumsy Kiwi arrives in Europe. His goal? Become a Formula 1 driver. Brendon Hartley, son of club racer Brian and brother of kart winner Nelson, amassed a host of New Zealand trophies en route to the promised continent. Brendon, supported by the famous Giltrap group – which in the mid-2000s categorically interfered with the emergence of New Zealand talent – can show it in Formula Renault.

Brendon, who looks like a bastard but actually has an almost insane fear of contamination, doesn’t really come flying like a comet. The first European season will be a year of learning, the one where he conquers exactly one place on the podium. Through championship titles in the Eurocup (2007) and a great first race in Formula 3 at the Masters of Zolder, Brendon attracted the attention of the New Zealand team A1GP, one of the candidates for the title at the time. .

As usual at the time, Brendon, as a talented young driver, was soon visited by a Red Bull delegation. The junior team of the bull stable is strong – for example, more than fifteen talents can count on the financial or commercial support of Red Bull in 2007. A logical train of thought: Red Bull, at the time a stable mid-engine in Formula 1, wants to reach the top. So, the Austrian team is fishing with enthusiasm in the group of young talents, in the hope that a future star will come to bite.

growing pains

It soon becomes clear that Brendon, who is in the same class as Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne, Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari, cannot provide a learning curve that will give him a seat in Formula 1 in the short term. It is certainly fast, but really only in the longer runs. Short sprint races like in Formula 3, on which the great New Zealander bites. Moreover, Red Bull’s hard-hitting approach is counterproductive. If Brendon gets fucked, he’ll only do worse.

yet sees Dr. Helmut Marko’s future in the youngster. He’ll be Toro Rosso’s official tester and reserve driver, which isn’t a bad job for a teenager. However, just when the big opportunity presents itself, Brendon is cleaned up. Weeks before regular Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Bourdais was expelled and a junior driver replaced him, Brendon’s duties were handed over to Alguersuari, who quickly made his F1 debut at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.

For the 2010 season, Brendon is entitled to a second chance. He is placed in the famous Formula Renault 3.5, with his compatriot Ricciardo. The objective is clear: whoever is above the rest in the championship after six events will receive the 2011 Toro Rosso test seat with possible promotion the following year. With Ricciardo involved in the title fight and Brendon not winning any races, the verdict is short but sweet: the New Zealander draws the short straw.

endurance

Brendon falls into a black hole, remains alone in Formula Renault 3.5, but does not deliver any particular performance in 2011, falters in the handful of GP2 appearances and in the spring of 2012 he finally loses the top class boat. Out of misery, Brendon, who will not have a penny to lose without the support of Red Bull, offers to join the LMP2 teams of the European Le Mans Series and the World Endurance Championship. Murphy Prototypes, a new racing stable from an Irish enthusiast, actually finds a home for Brendon.

In the meantime, Brendon is trying to keep a foothold in the world of Formula 1 by doing simulator work for Mercedes. He actually completes a rookie test for the Silver Arrows, but he doesn’t make it to a permanent position as a reserve pilot – Sam Bird is too quick for that in one lap. In the world of endurance racing, Brendon doesn’t just whine over a few laps: he can spin the wheel for hours at will and is proving particularly suited to the job.

In fact, at Murphy Prototypes, Brendon excels so much that he appears on the radar of the newly formed Porsche works team. Two good seasons in ELMS and a class victory in IMSA moreover, the New Zealander was offered a seat with the legendary German brand.

Winner of Le Mans

In 2014, the World Endurance Championship is an event in which veterans show their last laps. Think about it: Mark Webber joins Porsche as Hartley’s team-mate after his active Formula 1 career. Marc Gené and Lucas di Grassi will drive for their rival Audi, while Toyota will start with names such as Alexander Wurz, Anthony Davidson and Stephane Sarrazin.

Among all these fading heroes of yesteryear, Hartley’s riding skills are put to the test. The likes of Webber and Wurz may have lost a notch of raw speed over one lap, but are still awfully competitive and consistent over longer distances. Brendon manages to hold on admirably. In 2015, the New Zealander became world champion with Webber and Timo Bernhard, the trio also finished second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Brendon’s big crowning achievement followed in 2017, when he steered the Porsche with starting number 2 from a beaten position (eighteen laps down) to an equally unexpected and grand victory. That the 85^Ste edition of the 24 Hours is full of bizarre twists and turns is an understatement, that Brendon was the mainstay of the winning team is a fact. Shortly after his greatest victory, however, he received a big blow: Porsche stopped, Brendon was unemployed after 2017.

this chance

What to do? You are 27 years old, you have just won the greatest endurance race in the world in a phenomenal way and you do not have access to the other categories. Where is it? Brendon has Dr. Marko’s phone number still in his phone and decides to take the plunge shortly after the Porsche news. The conversation lasts less than fifteen seconds. ‘Doctor, I won the 24 Hours of Le Mans like you and I’m a free man after this season because Porsche is going to retire. I always recommend to your F1 teams’said Brendon, to whom the surly Austrian only ‘Ok thank you’says and hangs up.

Oh, what could it be – no you have, yes you can get. Brendon is looking further afield for 2018, throwing a ball at Toyota’s WEC team (which is already full) and looking for simulator opportunities in Formula 1. Also, several Formula E teams are interested, but Brendon doesn’t want to yet. get involved. .

A crazy set of circumstances leads Brendon to receive a call from Dr. Marko. Well, it’s October now, but that shouldn’t spoil the fun. With Jolyon Palmer dismissed by Renault and Carlos Sainz leaving Toro Rosso prematurely, Pierre Gasly made his F1 debut. However, the Frenchman was recalled to Japan by Honda to complete the final races of his Super Formula season. Toro Rosso therefore finds itself without a second driver. ‘Brendon, we have a place for you, come to COTA next week.’

Full time season

Brendon proceeds in his characteristic fashion – first completely puffing the car out before gradually going a bit faster through the lap. Because his car still has to deal with a mass of grid penalties, regardless, Brendon is allowed to go free in qualifying. Sure, he finished well behind his former team-mate Daniil Kvyat, but the mere fact that he arrived in Formula 1 makes up for the vast majority of stakeholders.

Although Kvyat finished tenth and scored a point, Brendon is rewarded with a term. After Gasly’s return, the New Zealander will be allowed to finish the rest (3 Grands Prix) of the season, or even run a full season in Formula 1 in 2018. It will not be a success. Gasly consistently scores points, even finishing fourth in Bahrain and sixth in Monaco, where Brendon with pain and effort – and thanks to a disqualification here and a time penalty there – takes four points.

At the end of 2018, it is therefore not surprising that Brendon’s time in Formula 1 is already over. By the way, the way he learns is from-Red Bulls: he is told a few hours before the final race in Abu Dhabi that it’s over and a few hours later a press release is sent out with the news that Alexander Albon, also such an outcast of the junior team, takes his seat.

(Triple) double success at Le Mans

Brendon will return to the WEC after his Formula 1 adventure, where he will join the Japanese factory team via a spare role at Toyota. He also briefly tries out Dragon’s Formula E car, but it doesn’t prove to be a success. Brendon comes into his own in the world of endurance racing, which has shown up many times on the Circuit de la Sarthe at Le Mans.

In 2020 and 2022, Brendon will win the endurance race in the North of France, in both cases as a Toyota driver. In fact, this past year, Brendon, the man who could never put in a single fast lap, took pole position. In the historiography of Formula 1, Brendon disappeared like a footnote, one that came and went. Yet those who have attended Le Mans know he is one of the most talented drivers on the planet.