Toro Rosso 2018 contract not a surprise for Hartley

Brendon Hartley's confirmation last week as a Toro Rosso driver for 2018 was hardly a surprise for the Kiwi who had known about his fate for several weeks.

Toro Rosso confirmed the 27-year-old and team mate Pierre Gasly who both jumped only recently on the F1 bandwagon.

"To be honest, I knew about the contract for several weeks," Hartley told Russia's Championat.

"For me it was not a surprise."

• Toro Rosso confirms Hartley and Gasly for 2018

It's been a pressure-packed few weeks for Hartley who dovetailed the end of his WEC commitments with Porsche with his F1 schedule.

In addition to his Toro Rosso deal, the 2017 Le Mans winner will maintain a contractual relationship with Porsche next year, although it's likely his involvement will be limited to off-track public relations or tribute work.

Racing in Porsche's GT program on a very limited basis could also be an option, although Hartley has no idea of what the future entails at this stage.

"I doubt that I can participate in two series at the same time," he said

"I don't know all the details of my contract for next season, but sometimes it's not easy to change from one series to another.

"These are different cars that require different settings and driving style. But it was the end of this season, so it was fine," he added.

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