WSR: Vergne replaces Hartley at Tech 1

Formula Renault 3.5 Series squad Tech 1 Racing has confirmed that Jean-Eric Vergne will replace Brendon Hartley for the remainder of the season.

The Frenchman will make his debut with the Toulouse-based squad when the series resumes at Hockenheim in September after Hartley lost his place on the grid when Red Bull decided to withdraw its backing of the 20-year-old New Zealander.

“We’re very sorry for Brendon Hartley,” said Tech 1 team manager Simon Abadie. “He’s an excellent driver and a great bloke with whom we had a very good relationship.

“He’s got great qualities and a lot of talent, and the whole team really enjoyed working with him for almost two seasons. We’d like to wish him all the best for the next steps in his career and we hope he’ll be able to bounce back. We understand and respect the Red Bull Junior Team’s decision.”

Vergne also enjoys Red Bull-backing and, after finishing as runner-up in the 2009 Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup, he has starred in his rookie season of the British F3 International Series this year. He leads Oliver Webb by 51 points in the championship standings and will dovetail his F3 and World Series campaigns for the remainder of the year.

“We’re delighted to welcome Jean-Eric Vergne to our team and we hope he’ll also be with us in 2011,” said Abadie. “He’s doing a great job in the British F3 Championship, and he could win the title before the restart of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. That’s his number one objective, and Jean-Eric should be the British F3 champion this season.

“He knows what he has to do with Tech 1 Racing in the FR 3.5 Series. He’s no stranger to the car as he drove it in winter testing; he knows the team as we ran him in the GP3 Series. He joined us at short notice and adapted very well to a car which he sat in for the first time. So we’re happy and confident.

“With Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Verge we’ve got what it takes to win both titles: the teams’ in which we have a 25-point lead, and the drivers’ in which Ricciardo has to close the 11-point gap to the leader.”

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Andy Wilkinson

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