Brendon Hartley believes he hasn’t had the “full support” of his Toro Rosso team as questions over his future continue.
The Kiwi is marking a full year since making his Formula 1 debut in Austin but in that time he has scored just two points compared to 28 for teammate and soon-to-be Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly.
Latest speculation has F2 racer Alexander Albon as the favourite for his seat but rumours have been circling almost all season with Helmut Marko making a concerted effort to replace Hartley as far back as June.
“I said it already before, from my point of view I have a contract for next year and anything else is better to discuss with someone from Red Bull,” he said defiantly on the topic on Thursday.
“Obviously my position in the team was already being questioned after three races into the start of the season, which is a pretty shitty position to be in, but I feel like I’m stronger because of it, and for the rest I don’t know.”
The former WEC champion looked on course for a good result last time out in Suzuka after qualifying a career-best sixth on the grid but quickly slipped back during the race finishing outside the points.
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In trying to convince Toro Rosso of his abilities, however, Hartley admits he has had to alter his approach.
“Definitely I’ve changed my attitude a bit, become more focused in a selfish way, managing my time and just keeping my mind on points that move the stopwatch,” he said.
“In an ideal world, you’d have full support, from a contractual point of view and you’d just be able to focus on doing your job, but it’s F1, it’s not always like that.”
The 28-year-old also maintains a belief that his performances haven’t been as bad as they might appear.
“I feel like I’m performing very well, even if I maybe haven’t scored in the points as much [as I would’ve liked],” he stated.
“There’s definitely been times I’ve been a bit unlucky. With all things being equal, I’ve definitely shown I can do the job.”