Motorsport: Hartley drawing Formula E interest

Brendon Hartley is in the eyes of Formula E teams. Photo / Photosport

Kiwi Brendon Hartley is being linked to the vacant seat at Chinese Formula E team Techeetah.

The Le Mans 24 Hour winner is in limbo at the moment following the announcement Porsche are exiting LMP1 at the end of the season and will move to Formula E eventually.

While still contracted to Porsche, and presumably a front-runner to race for them when they enter the championship in 2019-20, Hartley is rumoured to be a target of Techeetah to drive alongside Jean Eric Vergne in 2017-18.

The Chinese team started last season with former Formula 1 driver Vergne and Qing Hua Ma as their two drivers but replaced Ma with another F1 star in Esteban Gutierrez at round four. Gutierrez then took up a drive in Indycars midway through the season so Stephane Sarrazin replaced him in the back end of the campaign.

Motorsport.com is reporting Hartley is a possible target to partner Vergne for the new season that begins in Hong Kong in December.

Vergne took five podium finishes last year including victory in the final round in Montreal.

Hartley and his Porsche teammates (Kiwi Earl Bamber and German Timo Bernhard) lead the World Endurance Championship standings in what will be Porsche's final campaign in LMP1.

Fellow New Zealander Mitch Evans has just completed his rookie season in Formula E with the Panasonic Jaguar Racing team.