Disappointed Hartley rues poor start and overheated tyres

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Brendon Hartley's impressive performance in qualifying at Suzuka was as good as it got for the Toro Rosso driver who failed to capitalise on his advantageous starting position.

Launching his race from sixth, just ahead of team mate Pierre Gasly, Hartley was swallowed by the latter and several cars on the rush down to Turn 1 and thereafter as a result of too much wheelspin off the line.

"I had really poor traction off the line, huge wheelspin," explained the Kiwi.

“I don’t feel like I did too much wrong, but I just couldn’t get the power down. It didn’t feel like my procedure was too bad on the start so I need to check on that one.

Extended first stint wreaked havoc on Gasly's race

Overheated tyres meant Hartley just couldn't hold his own, let alone recover.

"They’re so sensitive that this really affected my entire first stint. I got them back into range and at the end of the stint the lap times started to be a bit more competitive and I could’ve stayed out a bit longer.

Hartley's level of performance improved slightly when he switched to a set of soft tyres, but traffic hampered any chances of making progress.

"On the second set I found myself in traffic, I made a couple of overtakes on both of the Williams but in the end I got stuck behind Marcus [Ericsson].

"It's a real shame that both cars are outside the points after such a promising result in qualifying yesterday."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.