B Hartley

Author
Discussion

paua

Original Poster:

5,717 posts

143 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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is in for the upcoming USGP :http://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/41614891
Kiwi here, so small bias - hope he does well.

williamp

19,255 posts

273 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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no too. A really surprising choice. Wasnt it Toro Rosso who ran Andre Lotterer that time??

patmahe

5,749 posts

204 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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Hadn't heard of this guy before about a week ago so cannot really comment on him, but Red Bull don't seem to have the same conveyor belt of talent coming through that they once had, I wonder if they are winding down their F1 involvement over a few years

rallycross

12,790 posts

237 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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Great to give someone a go outside the usual route to F1 And he deserves the drive as a top Line Wec driver.

wolfie1978

452 posts

164 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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williamp said:
no too. A really surprising choice. Wasnt it Toro Rosso who ran Andre Lotterer that time??
No that was caterham

S0 What

3,358 posts

172 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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patmahe said:
Hadn't heard of this guy before about a week ago so cannot really comment on him, but Red Bull don't seem to have the same conveyor belt of talent coming through that they once had, I wonder if they are winding down their F1 involvement over a few years
Same here, i recon TR will become honda works team and Horner will make a bid for the main team, there's been paddock chat about this most of the year, some think it's a few years away yet but i'm not so sure Mateschitz will be the owner by the end of 2018.
well done to the kid, he's been pretty good in other race series from what i've read (not a lot TBH but i know his name)

lucido grigio

44,044 posts

163 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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WEC former champion and LM24 winner for those not sure who he is.

eastlmark

1,654 posts

207 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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lucido grigio said:
WEC former champion and LM24 winner for those not sure who he is.
....and dropped by Red Bull in 2011.

Blink982

767 posts

104 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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I am chuffed for Brendon and I hope he gets a good shot at it. He will be looking to secure a drive after Porsche disappointingly have dumped LMP1 for Formula E. At least if he gets a drive in F1 or Indycar, people will actually see him drive. I wish him all the best for tonight's WEC race, next weekend and beyond. He's always struck me as a good guy and a good driver to boot.

eastlmark

1,654 posts

207 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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and the best hair in F1 for years.

Dermot O'Logical

2,577 posts

129 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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Hartley was a bit of a superstar in F3, but never made it to F1 largely as a result of a glut of Red Bull backed drivers chasing too few seats.

What's happened to the Red Bull conveyor belt of talent? They may have found some very decent drivers, but they've ended the careers of quite a few more, and now there's a big gap, with no new drivers coming through.

I'm rather surprised that Hartley, good though he undoubtedly is, has a Superlicence. Formula 1 is a very specialised discipline these days, and the new Superlicence rules coming in to effect basically mean that you'll have to finish first or second in the F2 championship to qualify.

It's a brave decision.

rallycross

12,790 posts

237 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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Dermot O'Logical said:
I'm rather surprised that Hartley, good though he undoubtedly is, has a Superlicence. Formula 1 is a very specialised discipline these days, and the new Superlicence rules coming in to effect basically mean that you'll have to finish first or second in the F2 championship to qualify.

It's a brave decision.
Not sure if serious?
Have you seen the performance and the technology involved in the cars he is driving in the WEC?
He is a world endurance championship winner and Le Mans winner of course he should have a super licence - take a look at how little experience/success some of young drivers who have arrived in F1 had!

Kinkell

537 posts

187 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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He has a very good if not flawless record in WEC and I wish him all the best. F1 is a different ball game and most newbies fail to make an impact due to limited ability at the sharp end. Real talent at this level is difficult to find and perhaps Max Verstappen sets the high standard others will hope in vain to achieve.

anonymous-user

54 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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rallycross said:
Not sure if serious?
Have you seen the performance and the technology involved in the cars he is driving in the WEC?
He is a world endurance championship winner and Le Mans winner of course he should have a super licence - take a look at how little experience/success some of young drivers who have arrived in F1 had!
Brendon is so good he managed to win a race in a car I built. laugh

I first met Brendon shortly after his loss of the Red Bull backing, he sacrificed a hell of a lot to rebuild his career, did all the hard work that was required to keep him in Europe, I was chuffed for him when he got the Porsche drive, this new opportunity I hope goes really well for him. He is a genuinely nice bloke, a proper motorsport enthusiast and a very smart lad. F1 would benefit from his presence.

rubystone

11,252 posts

259 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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Blink982 said:
I am chuffed for Brendon and I hope he gets a good shot at it. He will be looking to secure a drive after Porsche disappointingly have dumped LMP1 for Formula E. At least if he gets a drive in F1 or Indycar, people will actually see him drive. I wish him all the best for tonight's WEC race, next weekend and beyond. He's always struck me as a good guy and a good driver to boot.
I was told some months ago that he was a shoe-in for one of the Porsche Formula E drives. There’s less risk in that, as he will happily tell you.

Some Gump

12,688 posts

186 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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I really hope he does well. Bloke is massively talented.

This is his stint at Petit le mans (last IMSA race).


His entire stint is better than his peers - and in multi class racing that shows not just raw pace, but an almost uncanny ability to lap slower classes without losing pace. IMO that shows a brilliant ability to predict the actions of others, and therefore brilliant racecraft.

The challenge facing him is huge though. LMP1 may be fast enough in quali to bother the tail enders' race pace in F1, but it's a completely different discipline. He's just signed, so has presumably 2-3 days of simulator time before travelling to COTA. The masses will be quite logically be comparing him to Gasley, Kyviat et all, but IMO if he gets anywhere close it's a monster drive. F1 for returnees / existing backup drivers is hard (Button, Di Resta etc), but for someone who's been in a different discipline alltogether I think realistic expectations have to stay low.

Either way, I know who I'm cheering on next weekend.

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

255 months

Saturday 14th October 2017
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He learnt fly fishing from his dad....

S0 What

3,358 posts

172 months

Sunday 15th October 2017
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mybrainhurts said:
He learnt fly fishing from his dad....
I used to have an "i shot JR" t shirt when i was a kid biggrin

acer12

961 posts

174 months

Sunday 15th October 2017
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I’ve followed him in his racing career and on twitter for the last few years, great driver and comes across as nice bloke with similar charm to ricciardo so best of luck to him.

StevieBee

12,876 posts

255 months

Sunday 15th October 2017
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Some Gump said:
an almost uncanny ability to lap slower classes without losing pace. IMO that shows a brilliant ability to predict the actions of others, and therefore brilliant racecraft.
A skill that has not been without incident on the learning curve:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ox6I91os9o