“These McLarens are F***ed” – Brendon Hartley

Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley is adjusting to life at motorsport’s top tier of racing. Hartley took his second F1 point-scoring finish at the German Grand Prix last weekend. Now, the Kiwi is expressing his frustration at cars not as quick as his own.

During free practice, Hartley let slip some colourful language over the radio. As it turned out, he was being held up by McLaren’s Fernando Alonso. The irate driver did not hesitate to make his feelings known of former world champion Fernando Alonso’s car.

“Mate, these McLarens are f***ed,” Hartley said.

Anxious to water down the language, commentator David Croft clarified the comments. According to him, Brendon believed that Fernando was getting in his way while on a run.

F1 is a sport where ego clashes are fairly common and Hartley too, is part of the game. Now, Hartley will be hoping to have a good race this weekend in Hungary. F1 points are not easy to com by especially when one is a midfield driver. Things will be even more difficult as it is not easy to overtake at the venue.

Brendon Hartley was quite satisfied with the clean start to the weekend. He was encouraged by the fact that they looked more competitive compared to the previous couple of races.

In the intra-team battle, the 28-year old was half a second behind teammate Pierre Gasly. He will be hoping to capitalise on everything before qualifying on Saturday evening.

Hartley has come under a lot of scrutiny regarding his performances this season. There were even suggestions that he could lose his seat midway through the 2018 season. Fortunately, his season seems to be picking up slowly and steadily.

His second points-scoring finish in Hockenheim is certainly proof that he is improving. Can he really challenge his younger teammate Pierre Gasly?