Hartley not obsessing over Mexico presence

© XPB 

After his baptism of fire in Austin, Brendon Hartley isn't forcing the issue when it comes to racing or not with Toro Rosso in Mexico next weekend.

The F1 rookie acquitted himself well in Austin for his maiden Grand Prix experience, keeping his nose clean and out of trouble for a run to P13, some 27 seconds behind team mate Dany Kvyat.

Red Bull's Helmut Marko now finds himself with three drivers - Kvyat, Hartley and Pierre Gasly - and two seats for next weekend, but the Kiwi isn't losing any sleep over the prospect of heading south or heading home.

"Up until this moment I haven't been asking the question," said the 27-year-old.

"And it was the same when they called me up to do a simulator test. I didn't want to know, I just did the job, and that's how I've taken this weekend.

"I've actually been really relaxed and I'm happy I did it that way. I guess now there might be some conversations. I really don't know. You'll have to ask them."

The Porsche factory driver certainly had his work cut out for him with so much to learn and take in. Regardless of the outcome, it was a highly positive experience.

"So many experiences I can take going forward, if I get an opportunity," he said.

"At the end of the last stint I started to understand a bit more, and was pretty happy with the performance.

"There's always things you can do better. If I was to do the race again tomorrow, with the experience I've gained, I would do some of it a bit differently."

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