Daniil Kvyat Snubbed, Gasly and Hartley for Mexico

Brendon Hartley will continue with Toro Rosso at the Mexican Grand Prix. But, Daniil Kvyat will not be alongside him. Instead, he will relinquish his seat to the returning Pierre Gasly. Toro Rosso’s driver line-up changed on numerous occasions as a result of uncertainty over its 2018 squad and Carlos Sainz’s early departure to Renault. Kvyat’s poor form had seen him dropped ahead of the Malaysia-Japan double header for Gasly, who won last year’s GP2 championship.

When Sainz went to Renault ahead of the U.S. Grand Prix, Kvyat returned as Gasly was contesting the Super Formula finale. Ironically, the Super Formula finale ended up being cancelled due to a typhoon. By then, Toro Rosso had already called up former Red Bull junior Hartley. It was the Kiwi’s first drive in an open wheel car in half a decade.

Hartley’s dream debut quickly turned into a nightmare before he even sat in the car. An engine penalty threw a spanner in the works, but he turned in a solid race drive to 13th on his debut. Kvyat marked his return with a good drive to 10th but Toro Rosso were keen to give Hartley another chance to prove his potential for 2018.

On Monday, the team confirmed its line-up with a simple press release. But did not state whether the Hartley-Gasly tandem will continue beyond Mexico City. They were also tight-lipped on the status of Kvyat’s future. It means Toro Rosso will have had three different line-ups (Sainz-Gasly, Hartley-Kvyat, Hartley-Gasly) at the last three races.