Hartley to 'hold his head high' if F1 career ends

Brendon Hartley has insisted that he will 'hold his head high' if his Formula One career prematurely comes to an end at the conclusion of the 2018 season, with speculation mounting that Toro Rosso could replace him behind the wheel due to a season bereft of success.

Hartley has accumulated just two points so far in the driver's championship, and is currently second-bottom in the rankings, with only Sergey Sirotkin of Williams below.

The New Zealander has recognised the possibility of him losing his seat, but reckons he has gave everything.

“If Formula 1 finishes at the end of the year or whenever I’ll hold my head high," Hartley said.

"I know the job I’m doing behind the scenes and I know that I’m giving everything that I can.

“Not everyon always knows the full story, but I feel in a good place and I hope I can consolidate the momentum I’ve had in the last weekends.

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"Even if I didn’t always have the result I actually feel like I was very strong and I hope I can get some more results and more points on the board in the next races.”

Hartley believes that the speculation surrounding his career has become so prominent that he has almost become desensitised to it.

“No not at all," the Toro Rosso driver insisted when asked if he felt under pressure.

"I guess it’s the fact two months ago I was getting asked questions every second if my F1 career was over.

“I guess it changed my attitude a little bit and I feel very strongly about it. A lot of things are out of my control and I feel very content that I am doing the best that I can and hopefully the results will follow.”