Motorsport: Kiwi Hartley back in F1 hunt

Brendon Hartley racing a Carlin Motorsport Dallara Mercedes at Monza. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand driver Brendon Hartley is delighted to back in motor racing's top flight after being appointed a reserve driver for Red Bull's two Formula One teams.

Hartley and Australian Daniel Ricciardo, both 20, will share the role in alternate races for the Red Bull and Toro Rosso teams this season after completing a young driver test in Spain last month.

"Daniel and Brendon will sit-in on the briefings and debriefs, attend driver meetings and familiarise themselves with the everyday workings of the garage and pit wall," Red Bull said in a statement overnight.

Hartley was handed the same role last season but was replaced by fellow-Red Bull junior driver Jaime Alguersuari for the second half of 2009, leaving the New Zealander to focus on his British F3 and Renault World Series campaigns. Spaniard Alguersuari went on to become the youngest Formula One driver in history at the Hungarian Grand Prix, aged 19.

Hartley appreciated the chance to again observe Formula One racing first hand.

"I'm happy to be a part of the Red Bull F1 set-up again and it'll be good to be at the race tracks learning as much as possible so that if I do get the opportunity to do a race I'm fully prepared," he said.

"Me and Daniel are good friends, but we've never been teammates before so that'll be different, but he's a nice guy and we get on really well and we'll be fighting to win as long as it's fair then let the best man win."

As well as being reserve drivers, the Australasian pair, both based in Milton Keynes, will compete as teammates in the World Series by Renault for the Tech 1 team.

Ricciardo is the current British F3 champion while Hartley finished third in the 2008 British F3 championship before moving to the F3 Euro series.

Both took part in a young driver test in Spain last month. Hartley was at the wheel of the TR4 for Scuderia Toro Rosso for three days in Jerez.

Palmerston North driver Hartley's European career began in 2006 when he contested the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup before winning the Eurocup title with a round to spare in 2007. In 2008 he moved to the British F3 championship, before moving to the F3 Euro Series last year.

The first race of the season takes place on March 12 in Bahrain.

- NZPA