Brendon Hartley has completed his the first round of the 2018 FIA Formula 1 World Championship at Albert Park in Melbourne, finishing the race in 15^th position after what had been a challenging race for the New Zealand driver.
 
Despite having felt he missed out on what should have been a shot at Q2 in qualifying on Saturday, Brendon remained upbeat coming into the race and ready to progress from 16^th on the grid and remained focused on his points scoring ambitions from the weekend.
 
However as the lights went out for the opening round of the 2018 season just after 5pm local time, Hartley’s STR13 locked the brakes coming into turn one, causing a heavy flat spot and requiring an immediate pitstop. Hoping the early stop could in turn play into his hands later in the race as he was now on the soft Pirelli tyre, Hartley’s day was further blighted with a puncture during his second stint, damaging the rear and leaving him with next to no chance to work his way back up the order.
 
Following a pitstop for a fresh set of tyres, Brendon continued to the end, securing his first finish of the season and some valuable mileage and experience to carry into the next round in Bahrain.
 
Brendon Hartley – #28 Scuderia Toro Rosso:
“Locking the brakes into Turn 1 at the start and flat-spotting the tyres didn’t help our day, so I had no choice but to pit because it was probably the biggest flat spot I’ve ever had. Then on the second stint a small piece of bodywork from the rear floor caused a puncture, so it was game over. Huge amount learned by all of us and lots of positives to take forward into the next races. The support I received here in Melbourne was incredible. Now I’m looking forward to Bahrain, a circuit that holds many fond memories.”