Hartley thanks "almost" all members of Toro Rosso

His departure was confirmed by the official announcement of Albon on Monday, the release of Toro Rosso not bothering to mention his name.

Hartley scored just four points in his F1 career, but his biggest feat was to start sixth in Honda's Suzuka home race. He was also greeted by the small Scuderia engine manufacturer for the role played in accelerating the development of the Japanese manufacturer before his stint at Red Bull in 2019.

"I left the circuit this Sunday with my head held high"Hartley said on Twitter. "I'm very proud of my story and my adventure so far, but I'm leaving with the feeling of unfinished work in F1, so far it has been put on hold."

"I have already encountered obstacles before and I firmly believe that difficult situations make you stronger, it also helps me to have a NZ support team [néo-zélandaise], friends, my family and my wife. "

"I also want to thank my coach Rich and almost all the 500 Toro Rosso people I've met and enjoyed with this season, the entire engineering team, the mechanics, the marketing, public relations, logistics, the home team, the factory staff and of course all those of Honda Racing. "

"I really appreciate the support I've received from fans around the world this year, I still have a lot of pages to write in my story and I will make the most of the opportunities in the next chapter."

Hartley's options for 2019 are currently unknown. He was previously linked to IndyCar's Chip Ganbadi Racing, but his arrival at Toro Rosso allowed him to break the contract to compete in the 2018 F1 season. His former employer, Porsche, left the WEC at the end of 2017 but will join Formula E for the 2019/2020 season.