Hartley: “From Monaco, there was a plan to oust me”

Since the announcement of his ouster from the Team Toro Rosso in preparation for the 2019 season Formula 1, Brendon Hartley is very discreet. The New Zealander, without a wheel in F1 and awaiting a program for the upcoming campaign, decided to reflect on his mixed experience on the blog The Player's Tribune. 

Little blog to sign off last year. My 2019 calendar is filling up with a few exciting projects. I will be busy! Feeling good about everything that comes next. There are more chapters to write https://t.co/LDOr3yu376

— Brendon Hartley (@BrendonHartley) 30th January 2019

In this long post, the winner of 24 Hours of Le Mans 2017 with Porsche se rappelle des circonstances inconfortables du Grand Prix d’Abou Dhabi. “Like the fans, I had no idea what was going to happen next. That's the thing with politics in F1, it can be a bit... weird. Everyone walks on eggshells, there is never clarity, He explains.

So I did what I do best: my job. I beat my teammate (Pierre Gasly) and finished the race 12th. Then, an hour later, I was invited to a meeting. A few minutes later, I was no longer an F1 driver."

Brendon Hartley reveals that the idea of ​​not keeping him at Toro Rosso in 2019 was born at the Monaco Grand Prix in May 2018. “From Monaco, there was a plan to oust me. »

Indeed, the rumors spread in the Principality eventually reached the ears of the pilot. “After a few races, someone talks to me about the end! The worst moment was realizing that there was some truth to these rumors. I'll be honest, it was a bit of a shock. 

But that's life in F1. This sport generates so much money and occupies so many people that it is natural to have policies ». This is the hard lesson Brendon Hartley learned in 2018.