The Formula One team with the most uncertainty surrounding its future is Scuderia Toro Rosso. Who will be driving for the team in 2018?
The Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team opened up the 2017 season with the same two drivers that had raced for the team for much of the 2016 season. Daniil Kvyat, 23, drove in all but the first four races of the 2016 season for the team when he was driving for Red Bull Racing before Max Verstappen went to Red Bull Racing from Toro Rosso and replaced him, and Carlos Sainz Jr., 23, spent the entire 2016 season driving for the team.
In the first 14 races of this season, Toro Rosso’s lineup was exactly the same as it was for all but the first four races of last season with Kvyat and Sainz Jr. in the team’s two cars. But after the Singapore Grand Prix, the team became arguably the craziest and most unpredictable team in the sport.
Before the Singapore Grand Prix, it had been announced that Sainz Jr. would be driving for Renault in the 2018 season to replace Jolyon Palmer. There were rumors that Palmer would be out at Renault early, opening up a seat for Sainz Jr. to close out the 2017 season, which did happen, but not quite yet by the time the Malaysian Grand Prix took place.
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In Malaysia, Kvyat was sidelined in favor of 21-year-old Pierre Gasly, who had never driven in a Formula One race before. Sainz Jr. continued driving for Toro Rosso in the race, and in Japan, the team used the same lineup as they did in Malaysia.
But then things got really crazy for the team in the United States Grand Prix. Pierre Gasly could not drive in the race because he had to be in Japan for the Japanese Super Formula season finale, which actually ended up being canceled, and Renault had just parted ways with Jolyon Palmer, which left his seat open for Carlos Sainz Jr. to take over for the rest of the 2017 season.
So Toro Rosso brought back Daniil Kvyat and they also brought on Brendon Hartley, 27, who had not driven a single-seater car in years. Hartley had been previously tipped to land a ride in IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing to replace Tony Kanaan in the #10 Honda next season.
But after the race, Toro Rosso parted ways with Kvyat despite the fact that he finished in 10th place. They then announced that Hartley would finish the season driving for the team and that Gasly would do the same.
So who will drive for Toro Rosso in the 2018 season?
The answer has to be Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley, the two drivers who are slated to close out the final three races of the 2017 as Toro Rosso drivers. The team has been impressed with Gasly and they were impressed with Hartley’s drive in the United States Grand Prix after he started in 19th place and finished in 13th. Plus, the IndyCar seat that Hartley was slated for is now taken by Ed Jones, meaning IndyCar is likely not an option for him in 2018.
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Will the 2018 driver lineup of the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team turn out as expected, or will unforeseen circumstances throw a curve ball into the mix that causes an unexpected driver to drive for the team next year while either Pierre Gasly or Brendon Hartley is out of a ride? We should know for sure very, very soon.