What did Helmut Marko say to Brendon Hartley?

On the 2 June nzherald.co.nz reports: Strongest hint yet that Brendon Hartley is on the Formula 1 chopping block

The article explores the rumours surrounding Toro Rosso F1 driver Brendon Hartley and the potential for him to be replaced given his mediocre results this season.

In the article they quote Red Bull motorsport boss Dr Helmut Marko:

“The situation around Brendon is not pleasing,” Marko told Speed Week.  “We will go through this in peace and see what we can do in the future.”

One day earlier at apexnews.co.nz they had a similar article: Helmut Marko not pleased with struggling Hartley

Again, they have the exact same quote:

“The situation around Brendon is not pleasing,” Marko told Speed Week. “We will go through this in peace and see what we can do in the future.”

But what did Helmut Marko actually say to Speedweek:

“Die Situation um Brendon ist nicht erfreulich. Wir werden das in Ruhe durchgehen und schauen, was man da in Zukunft machen kann”

Speedweek is the Red Bull Media House motorsport platform for both two and four wheel racing.  It is a German website, totally in the German language.  (Stick the quote in Google Translate and you get the quote above!)

However, Speedweek is the only website that appears to quote Marko.  Key F1 websites and commentators have mentioned the rumours but none that I have found have quoted Marko.

Let’s remember that there are some bigger issues going on here:

– Red Bull are evaluating the Honda engine as a replacement in 2019 for their current Renault powered engine.  They will have to make a decision very shortly.

• – Honda have an engine upgrade for Toro Rosso for this weekend’s Canadian F1 Grand Prix
• – Red Bull will use the Canadian Grand Prix to assess the performance of Honda’s power unit compared to current supplier Renault as it weighs up whether it should switch engine provider for 2019.

– Brendon Hartley gained a formidable reputation as a simulator driver for Mercedes F1 (2012-2013).  How vital is his feed-back from the Honda powered Toro Rosso car?

•  – A lot of driver movement seems to hinge on where current Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo will end up in 2019.  Common sense says he has little option but to stay with Red Bull.  Maybe this decision rests on who they decide to power their 2019 car

– Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner has his hands full with trying to curb the mistakes made by star driver Max Verstappen.

– There are few viable options for replacing Hartley and there are three other drivers also under pressure – Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren), Romain Grosjean (Haas), Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)

•  – F1 reporter and commentator Joe Saward has this week talked about McLaren setting up an IndyCar entry for 2019 with Fernando Alonso.  Their protege Lando Norris could be brought into F1 later this season before replacing Alonso in 2019.  Hartley’s seat maybe an option, so might Vandoorne’s.

As we know F1 is a fickle business and money can override common sense. At the end of the day Hartley does need to produce results, as do all the others on the grid.