Brendon Hartley's Red Bull Axing Confirmed

In a brief statement on its website, the team said Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne will move up into Formula Renault 3.5 Series to contest the remainder of the championship alongside Daniel Ricciardo for Tech 1 Racing.

"The move comes following Red Bull Junior Team's decision to release Brendon Hartley, after four seasons with the programme," the statement said.

It appears Hartley, also a reserve and test driver for the Red Bull Formula One teams, has paid for some poor racing results.

www.stuff.co.nz previously reported:

Joe Saward, a respected motorsport insider whose internet blogs are considered accurate, revealed that Hartley had been dropped.

In an article speculating on a power struggle in the RB organisation, Saward said Hartley was set to pay for his mixed racing form this season.

"On the race tracks he has been having a pretty poor year. Ricciardo is currently second in the Renault World Series (RWS), with two wins in 12 races, while Hartley is sixth, having failed to win a race," he wrote.

"We hear that Hartley has now been axed from the Red Bull Junior Team and that this was done without any consultation with the F1 team, which was happy with the work that he has been doing."

Ricciardo is currently second in the Renault World Series (RWS), with two wins in 12 races, while Hartley is sixth, having failed to win a race.

Hartley's results in this season's Renault series have also been erased from the website.

Source: www.stuff.co.nz