Dec.15 (GMM) Brendon Hartley will this week take another big step towards a future in formula one
After conducting some in-car work with Red Bull’s two teams in 2008, the 19-year-old from New Zealand is set to appear at Jerez as a testing substitute for the injured Mark Webber
And one of his tasks, it has emerged, is to professionally complete 300 kilometres of the Spanish circuit in order to qualify for an FIA super license
A super license is only necessary to take part in official action at grands prix
The news therefore raises expectations that Hartley, who finished this year’s British F3 series in third place, is set to replace Sebastien Buemi as Toro Rosso’s official third driver
“It won’t be about having the fastest lap — it’s all about completing 300km to get his super licence and doing what he is told,” his manager Peter Johnston said ahead of Hartley’s Jerez test
“If everything goes square, they can use him for proper testing next year,” he told the NZPA news agency
