Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat has been kicked to the kerb once again, with Red Bull officially confirming that he will not be part of the team’s driver lineup for the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix. The news confirms that Brendan Hartley will be racing alongside the returning Pierre Gasly. The lineup beyond the Mexican Grand Prix has not been confirmed.
Gasly will be returning to action in Mexico, as originally planned. Gasly previously raced for Toro Rosso at the Malaysian and Japanese Grand Prix. He skipped out on the United States Grand Prix to take part in the Super Formula finale in the Japan that was set to take place on the same weekend. Only half a point separated him from the championship leader, Hiroaki Ishiura. Unfortunately, he wasn’t given the chance to compete for the title thanks to a typhoon that hit the circuit in the days leading up to the event and forced the organizers to cancel the event.
While Gasly was away, Toro Rosso called upon Hartley to fill the empty seat left by Carlos Sainz’s early exit to Renault and Daniil Kvyat was asked to return to his role with the team. Hartley finished a strong P13 on his Formula One debut.
Both Hartley and Gasly are on the list of drivers in line for the vacant seat left by Sainz for 2018. The decision to run both drivers in Mexico shows one of two things: Toro Rosso is having trouble choosing which driver to hire in 2018 or they are planned to hire both and ditch Kvyat. No drivers are contracted for 2018 with Toro Rosso, leaving all options open at the moment.
The team have expressed their disappointment with Kvyat in the past, making it appear more and more likely that Kvyat will see himself out of a drive at the end of the season.
