Brendon Hartley is gearing up for a return to the FIA WEC World Endurance Championship. Hartley took the win at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans and has claimed the World Endurance Championship title twice with Porsche (in 2015 then 2017). He is joining Russian outfit for the 1000 Miles of Sebring on 15 March 2019 and the Total 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on 4 May 2019. He will drive the #11 BR Engineering BR1-AER, replacing Jenson Button who will be defending his title in the Japanese Super GT championship. Hartley will team up with Mikhail Aleshin and Vitaly Petrov.
The 29-year-old New Zealander will share his valuable Endurance racing experience – and his sheer speed – at SMP Racing. Last year, he competed in the Formula One world championship with Toro Rosso.