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Hartley talks about taking advice from "good friend" Mark Webber

15:08, 08 Aug 2018

byNicolás Quarles van Ufford

Toro Rosso's Brendon Hartley has revealed that he often talks to his former WEC teammate Mark Webber to pick the Aussie's brain about everything regarding F1, as the Kiwi is convinced that the media scrutiny has only made him stronger.

Hartley shared a Porsche 919 Hybrid with Webber when they won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2017. That victory was one of the main reasons Hartley was drafted into Formula One in the first place, as it really put the Kiwi back on the map after being kicked out of the Red Bull Academy.

The 28-year-old now revealed that he still talks to Webber frequently.

“We chat quite a lot," he told RaceFans.

"I think all through my career I’ve learned that it’s good to take advice from as many people as you can and when you have someone like Mark who’s happy to pick up the phone or have a meal and discuss everything I try and take full advantage of that.

"He’s a good friend and always has something interesting to say or advice to give or compare notes.

"I was very lucky to have him as a teammate in [WEC].

"Especially off the track, managing situations, how to deal with the team, mentally how to deal with the pressures that are involved in Formula One.

"There’s a lot of advice he can offer and he’s been helpful.”

Hartley then explained how even back in the LMP1 days at Porsche with Webber, he learned a lot from the way he handled off-track things like media and rumours.

“Even early in the Porsche days it was very clear to me he wasn’t too fazed about rumours, just focused on the things that were important - having a larger view, seeing the bigger picture.

“I think I’ve got better and better at that.

"I think especially this year being under a situation with a bit of pressure, coming from all angles, the media or whoever, actually it has made me feel a lot stronger and made me realise where my energy needs to be.

“I actually feel really good about the situation regardless of what’s written or not written.

"It’s made things a lot clearer for me, where my mind needs to focus and how I need to feel.”

Let's hope that Franz Tost and Dr Helmut Marko share this positivity, because it's no secret that Hartley's seat has been under pressure this season. It looks like the Kiwi will at least finish this season at Toro Rosso, but even that is not a sure thing.