F1 End of Season Report: Rate the Grid - Brendon Hartley

[Paul Jeffrey]

The season is over, the points tallied and a champion crowned. The big question that still remains is how do we rate the grid? Today it's the turn of Toro Rosso's Brendon Hartley..

Toro Rosso performed something of a musical chairs charade during the season just gone, fielding not two but four drivers over the course of the season, in three different driving combinations! Of the new recruits to spend time behind the wheel during a Grand Prix weekend, perhaps the highest profile of which would be 2017 World Endurance Champion and Porsche factory driver Brendon Hartley.

Dropped from the Red Bull junior programme before moving over to sportscar racing, the likeable Kiwi would make a shock return toward the end of the season and performing well enough to earn a full time driving in 2018, but how do you rate his first part season in Formula One?

Vote now to tell us how you rate the 2017 season for Toro Rosso part time driver Brendon Hartley, and leave a comment below!

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[Sky]

Its been hard to actually see much of his driving, due to his burrowing and nocturnal nature. Until they invent cameras that can detect him on track, my opinion will have to be:

Is a driver with some hair.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Did Ok, but will have to improve next season. As well as could be expected in the situation, but needs to do more.

 

[Terry Rock]

I think given the short time-span in which he had to learn the car, he did a great job.
The unreliability of the powerplant did not help matters either.
If Honda can get their sh*t together for the coming season, it should be interesting at Toro Rosso.

 

[Aidan Keranen]

If he can do well against Gasly next season he may have a chance at a seat elsewhere, but I reckon he'll get one season with the Toro Rosso - Honda, results will be hard to come by likely.
I'd love to see him at least get some points next year, then I wouldn't mind as much if he returned to sports cars or similar.

 

[Rob]

Brendon who? Why would one try to go to F1 when they have all those great Aussie tracks? Must be fame and money. lol.

 

[snyperal]

I rated him ten, winning the WEC then getting a f1 drive must be the season of a lifetime. He's got to start performing next season though, or else his forray into f1 will be shirt lived.

Might even end up in a porsche fe car?

 

[wombat999]

All things considered he did a reasonable job in an unfamiliar car on top of dominating the sports car (I use the term loosely!) series.
Be interesting when Honda rock up with a competitive power plant next year.

 

[TheMrSuperShotJay]

I've rated him a 4, with only two completed Grand Prix's there's not much to go on, he did OK but i saw nothing special and didn't exactly blow either of his teammates out of the water.

 

[Fat Rich]

I'd rate him -9, based on a 6 out 10 performance but with a 15 place penalty

Hard to judge him really, he was parachuted into the team with no preparation, seems to have done a good job but hard to tell what his potential really is, and the grid penalties and engine reliabilty issues restricting his running in practice haven't helped.

 

[F1Aussie]

Brendon who? Why would one try to go to F1 when they have all those great Aussie tracks? Must be fame and money. lol.

he ain't an aussie

 

[HDrury42]

I think considering it had been 6 years since he drove a single seater, he’s done brilliantly.
Austin was awful, but that was to be expected. It’s a big leap into the new 2017 cars.

But since then, he’s outperformed gasly, (at least he has every time I’ve noticed him) up until his engine fails...
Will be great to see next year when both drivers are up to speed!

 

[Thombike]

Much better as Gasly, but more hard to say. Have some situations and no too much oportunities to show something more. Strong 4 deserve. Well see in 2018.

 

[Epistolarius]

Did Ok, but will have to improve next season. As well as could be expected in the situation, but needs to do more.

What is he supposed to do? Magically repair his car? Next season will likely be all the same, not the quickest car, reliability issues and tons of grid penalties that make qualifying pointless.

 

[Mr Latte]

Think he was "JAMMY" to get the seat

 

[pcraenme]

The Torro Rosso did not seem very competitive anymore during the last GP's so it is hard to judge him. I am not sure where Torro Rosso is going. Not very long ago they had Verstappen and Sainz as drivers (which is a much better lineup than Gasly/Hartley if you ask me) and a car that was one of the better ones except maybe for the engines (and with Honda there is a big chance things will get even worse). Back to Hartley's performance, he did ok, but not more than that. Score 6.

 

[paracletus]

Can't tell yet, hasn't shown anything remarkable yet but neither has gasly.
More time needed to prove themselves plus those are tough shoes to follow, taking over from daniel kivyat.

 

[Jan Larsen]

Average. Did nothing special and will have to improve in 2018, but the car being complete crap in the last few races didnt help him either.

 

[Nick Hill]

Would it be asking too much for one of these back markers to take their car off a sweet jump or perhaps adorn their car with a humorous slogan or something? I feel like that would inspire me to want to rate them.

As it is, he's one of a dozen or so drivers who is no threat whatsoever of making a podium, so it's hard for me to get overly interested in how he's serving in his duty as rolling chicane. If he starts wrecking a bunch or making outlandish comments at press conferences, I reserve my right to form an opinion on him!

 

[apex11]

Dan Ricciardo is absolute marketing mans dynamite, funny, always smiling, has that Aussie appeal...... i can't help thinking Brendon is in F1 because he seems a bit like Dan.......... seems like a marketing move rather than a "this guy is something really special"....
So based on that hes perfect for the F1 Show....