Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley says he achieved the “maximum” possible as he rose from last to secure his best Formula 1 result at the United States Grand Prix.
Hartley was consigned to the back of the grid after taking on a fresh power unit and ran a 27-lap stint on Supersofts before taking on Softs for the remainder of the race.
Hartley kept Marcus Ericsson at bay and finished clear of some two-stopping rivals to classify in 11th place – which became ninth when Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen were excluded.
“I’m really happy with my performance and race which was rewarded with two points,” said Hartley.
“I was aggressive when I needed to be and did a good job with tyres, the team gave me good info from the pits and the mechanics did a good pit stop – a team effort.
“From last on the grid to P9 was the maximum we could do, and I’m happy with the aggression I showed and how the race went.
“Even if the points haven’t come, I have been very strong in all the last races and am very motivated and optimistic for the rest of the season and beyond.”
Toro Rosso team-mate Pierre Gasly also started from the back row of the grid but managed only 12th, having sustained damage on the opening lap when he went off at Turn 5 in avoidance of rivals.
“Starting from P19 we knew it would be a difficult race,” he said.
“We took some debris after the chaotic first lap and that damaged the floor a bit, after that I was just trying to do everything I could from inside the car, but there was a massive loss of grip for the rest of the race.
“We decided for a two-stop strategy but there wasn’t much we could do.”
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