Monaco key for ‘Down Under’ duo for different reasons

It is a tale of two drivers at the moment in Monaco as Australian Daniel Ricciardo and New Zealander Brendon Hartley race toward the weekend showcase of Formula One’s grandest stage — the Monaco Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s ‘Down Under’ duo were separated by only 1.381 seconds during the first of two practice runs on Thursday, although at the moment the two F1 drivers are miles apart in terms of direction and season success.

With Red Bull Racing’s Ricciardo blistering the field with a scorching lap time of 1 minute 11.841 seconds — a course record — in hopes of redemption following a pit-stop blunder in 2016 that perhaps cost him the victory, fellow Red Bull ambassador Hartley, who drives for and Scuderia Toro Rosso, hopes to rebound his struggling F1 career. Hartley has seemingly not shifted out of neutral since returning from a successful run with Porsche in the FIA World Endurance Championships, which included the 2017 24 Hours of Le mans with co-drivers Timo Bernhard (GER) and Earl Bamber (NZL).

Along with Ricciardo, Hartley had previously served with Red Bull Racing before a disappointing season in Renault 3.5 and GP2 appeared to have squashed any future in F1. Despite current rumours of his impending early dismissal from Toro Rosso, Hartley said it is all news to him.

“I was surprised to hear that. I have a contract, so I was surprised to hear,” Hartley told crash.net. ”There’s always a lot of rumours in Formula 1, so as a driver, it’s better not to read too much. I know that I’m a team player. I’m working very hard behind the scenes. I know I’m more than capable.

”I think people sometimes have quite short memories in Formula 1. Things move very quick, and from one weekend to the next, the whole story can be a very different one.”

However, the 28-year-old Palmerston North native is keen to shift into high gear on his adopted home circuit and hopefully release some of the pressure from Toro Rosso to quickly add to his lone championship point in F1.

“I’ve lived in Monaco coming up for three and a half years,” Hartley told the Checkered Flag.

“I actually live on the race circuit and can see the track from my apartment.

“Monaco is one of the highlights of the calendar and living here, there were times when I asked myself if I’d ever see the day that I’d actually get to race it again,” he continued. ”It will be nice to wake up in my own bed and have all those routines of being at home.”

For Ricciardo, this year’s race is all about unfinished business as Mark Webber’s heir apparent told the Daily Telegraph.

“Yes,” Ricciardo said when asked if he is owed victory in Monaco. “But I have to go and earn it. I have to be prepared to win. It’s not just going to happen because it should have already.”

With neither Red Bull driver qualifying higher than fourth so far, and a third and final practice on Saturday ahead of qualifying for the 3.4-kilometre street circuit, the 28-year-old Perth native is fully aware of the challenges ahead, but feels up to the task.

”I’m sure Ferrari and Mercedes will start to put some more pressure on us,” he said. “They’ll definitely close that gap (in qualifying). I still feel if we can put together a really good lap we have a very good chance.”

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