Four-Time World Endurance Champion · Endurance

Brendon Hartley

Four world endurance titles, a joint record, and three wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also spent nine years as a Formula One reserve driver before finally getting a race seat.

Nationality
New Zealander
Born
10 November 1989 · Palmerston North, New Zealand
Teams
Porsche · Toyota · Murphy · SMP · Toro Rosso
WEC titles
4 (2015, 2017, 2022, 2023) · a joint record
Le Mans starts
13 · winner in 2017, 2020 and 2022
Formula One
25 races for Toro Rosso, 2017–2018
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Four-Time World Endurance Champion
2012 — Present
4
FIA World Titles
3
Le Mans Victories
24
WEC Race Wins
54
WEC Podium Finishes

Who is Brendon Hartley?

Brendon Hartley (born 10 November 1989) is a New Zealand racing driver who has won the FIA World Endurance Championship four times, in 2015, 2017, 2022 and 2023, a joint record with Sébastien Buemi. He has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times, with Porsche in 2017 and with Toyota in 2020 and 2022, and raced in Formula One for Toro Rosso.

Full name
Brendon Morris Hartley
Nationality
New Zealander
Career
2012–present
Best known for
Four world endurance titles and three Le Mans wins

By Kozmozracing Editorial Published Updated 9 sources

Rider Profile

Brendon Hartley: Full Biography

Brendon Hartley is a New Zealand racing driver who has won the FIA World Endurance Championship four times, in 2015, 2017, 2022 and 2023 — a joint record, level with Sébastien Buemi — and the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times. He drives Toyota’s No. 8 car.

The Long Wait He won the Eurocup Formula Renault title in 2007 and joined Red Bull’s junior programme, becoming the first New Zealander with Formula One driver status since Mike Thackwell in 1984. He spent 2009 and 2010 as reserve driver, at one point sharing the role with Daniel Ricciardo, then lost it and rebuilt his career in sportscars.

Porsche Porsche put him in the 919 Hybrid in 2014. The world title came in 2015 with Mark Webber and Timo Bernhard, and again in 2017 with Bernhard and Earl Bamber, the year they also won Le Mans. That October, nine years after his first Formula One test, Toro Rosso gave him a race debut at the United States Grand Prix.

Toyota He joined Toyota for 2019–20 and won Le Mans in 2020 with Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, and again in 2022 with Buemi and Ryō Hirakawa, taking a third world title that year and a fourth in 2023. He has 24 world championship race wins and 54 podiums from 86 starts.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Brendon Hartley

Chapter 01

Nine Years a Reserve Driver

He won the Eurocup Formula Renault championship in 2007 and was picked up by Red Bull, and at eighteen he performed a show run for the team in Riyadh and the three-day shakedown of Toro Rosso's new car. In 2009 he was appointed reserve driver for both Red Bull teams — the first New Zealander to hold Formula One driver status since Mike Thackwell in 1984 — although his superlicence was not approved until April and David Coulthard covered the opening races. The following year he shared the reserve role with Daniel Ricciardo. Then it stopped: the seat never came, the role went elsewhere, and he rebuilt in sportscars. The race debut finally arrived at the 2017 United States Grand Prix, standing in for Pierre Gasly, nine years after his first test in a Formula One car. He kept the seat for 2018 alongside Gasly, scored points three times with a best of ninth in Austin, and was replaced by Alexander Albon for 2019.

Brendon Hartley at the wheel of his dark blue and red Toro Rosso, car 28, during the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix weekend. Toro Rosso · Austrian Grand Prix, 2018 Photo: Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso, Austrian Grand Prix (2018) by Lukas Raich / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized) · licence
Chapter 02

Porsche

Porsche signed him to drive the 919 Hybrid in LMP1 for 2014, alongside Timo Bernhard and Mark Webber, and the three of them won the world championship in 2015 — four race wins, five pole positions and second place at Le Mans. Webber retired at the end of that season and Earl Bamber took the seat. In 2017 the crew won four more races and finally took Le Mans, in a race Porsche led only in its closing hours, and Hartley collected a second world title in three seasons. Porsche withdrew from LMP1 at the end of that year, and by then he had a Formula One race seat to go to.

The white, red and black Porsche 919 Hybrid, car 2, on track at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, the race it won with Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber. Porsche 919 Hybrid, car 2 · 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2017 Photo: The race-winning No. 2 Porsche 919 Hybrid, 24 Hours of Le Mans (2017) by David Merrett / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized) · licence
Chapter 03

Four Titles

Toyota took him for the 2019–20 season and put him in the No. 8 car with Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima. They won Le Mans in 2020 and were second in the championship, then second again in 2021. Ryō Hirakawa replaced Nakajima for 2022, and that year brought a third Le Mans win and a third world title, followed by a fourth in 2023 — level with Buemi on the all-time list. At Bahrain in 2024 he took pole and the No. 8 won the race, clinching the manufacturers' championship for Toyota. The 2025 season was the team's leanest of the Hypercar era, and then the new TR010 Hybrid won on its debut at Imola in 2026: Toyota's fiftieth world championship victory, in its hundredth start.

The white and red Toyota GR010 Hybrid, car 8, through the Esses at the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans, alongside the blue and yellow kerbing, in the race Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa won. Toyota GR010 Hybrid, car 8 · the Esses, 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2022 Photo: Toyota GR010 Hybrid No. 8, the Esses, 24 Hours of Le Mans (2022) by Martin Lee from London, UK / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized) · licence
Career Timeline

Brendon Hartley Career Timeline: 1989–Present

Born in Palmerston North

Brendon Morris Hartley is born on 10 November in Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Eurocup Champion

Wins the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 title.

Red Bull

At eighteen, a show run for Red Bull and the shakedown of Toro Rosso's new car.

Reserve Driver

The first New Zealander with Formula One driver status since Mike Thackwell in 1984.

Le Mans Debut

Starts the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time, with Murphy Prototypes in LMP2.

Porsche

Signed to drive the 919 Hybrid in LMP1.

World Champion

Takes the title with Mark Webber and Timo Bernhard.

Le Mans, a Title, and Formula One

Wins Le Mans and a second championship, then debuts in Formula One at Austin.

Toro Rosso

A full grand prix season alongside Pierre Gasly.

Le Mans Again

Wins the race for Toyota with Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima.

Third Win, Third Title

Wins Le Mans with Buemi and Hirakawa, and the world championship.

Four Titles

A fourth world championship, equalling the record for the series.

Fifty for Toyota

Wins the Imola opener, Toyota's fiftieth world championship win in its hundredth start.

By the Numbers

Brendon Hartley World Endurance Record, Season by Season

Brendon Hartley season-by-season record: team, wins, poles, podiums, points and final standing.
SeasonTeam Wins Poles Podiums Points Pos.
2012 Murphy · LMP2 0 0 1 0 NC
2013 Murphy · LMP2 0 0 0 0 NC
2014 Porsche · LMP1 0 1 3 64.5 9
2015 Porsche · LMP1 4 5 6 166 1
2016 Porsche · LMP1 4 2 6 134.5 4
2017 Porsche · LMP1 4 2 8 208 1
2018–19 SMP Racing · LMP1 0 0 1 19 18
2019–20 Toyota · LMP1 2 1 8 202 2
2021 Toyota · Hypercar 3 1 5 168 2
2022 Toyota · Hypercar 2 2 5 149 1
2023 Toyota · Hypercar 2 2 6 172 1
2024 Toyota · Hypercar 2 1 2 109 4
2025 Toyota · Hypercar 0 0 1 66 7
2026 Toyota · Hypercar 1 0 2 56 5*

Championship seasons are highlighted. This table is his World Endurance Championship record only: career totals of 24 wins · 17 pole positions · 54 podiums from 86 starts, and wins, poles and podiums all sum to those totals. His Formula One career (25 races for Toro Rosso in 2017 and 2018, four points), his LMP2 and European Le Mans Series outings and his IMSA starts are covered in the biography and timeline rather than here. He was a guest driver in 2012 and 2013 and ineligible for points, so those seasons carry no championship position. Points are not comparable across the table, as the scoring system, the class structure and the number of rounds all changed over his career. The 2026 row is marked with an asterisk because the season is in progress. Figures verified 3 September 2026.

Brendon Hartley in his own words

In His Own Words
It's an amazing feeling. The TR010 HYBRID looked fast even before it turned a wheel, and now it wins on its debut.
Brendon Hartley · after winning the 6 Hours of Imola, April 2026

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Frequently Asked

Brendon Hartley: Frequently Asked Questions

How many world championships has Brendon Hartley won?

Four — in 2015 and 2017 with Porsche, and in 2022 and 2023 with Toyota. That is a joint record for the World Endurance Championship, level with Sébastien Buemi, who has been his team mate for most of the Toyota years.

How many times has Brendon Hartley won Le Mans?

Three. In 2017 with Porsche, alongside Timo Bernhard and Earl Bamber; in 2020 with Toyota, alongside Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima; and in 2022 with Buemi and Ryō Hirakawa. From thirteen starts he has three wins, three second places and a third.

Did Brendon Hartley race in Formula One?

Yes, twenty-five races for Toro Rosso across 2017 and 2018. He scored four points, with a best finish of ninth at the 2018 United States Grand Prix, and was replaced by Alexander Albon for 2019.

Why did it take Brendon Hartley so long to reach Formula One?

He was appointed Red Bull reserve driver in 2009, the first New Zealander with Formula One driver status since Mike Thackwell in 1984, and shared the role with Daniel Ricciardo the following year. The race seat never came, he lost the reserve job, and he rebuilt his career in sportscars. His debut finally arrived at the 2017 United States Grand Prix, nine years after his first test in a Formula One car.

Who are Brendon Hartley's co-drivers?

Sébastien Buemi has shared the No. 8 car with him since 2020, and Ryō Hirakawa since 2022. Earlier, at Porsche, he drove with Timo Bernhard throughout and with Mark Webber until the end of 2016 and Earl Bamber from 2017.

What car does Brendon Hartley drive?

The No. 8 Toyota, currently the TR010 Hybrid in the Hypercar class. He has driven for Toyota since the 2019–20 season, and before that the Porsche 919 Hybrid in LMP1 and an Oreca in LMP2.

Where is Brendon Hartley from?

Palmerston North, in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. He lives in Monaco and is married to Sarah Wilson.

What did Brendon Hartley win in 2026?

The season-opening 6 Hours of Imola, on the debut of Toyota's new TR010 Hybrid — the manufacturer's fiftieth World Endurance Championship victory, in its hundredth start. He also finished third at Le Mans that June.

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. 6 Hours of Imola: Race — victory in Italy for TOYOTA RACING · Toyota (official)
  2. Toyota takes 50th win in milestone 100th start · FIA WEC (official)
  3. Toyota Gazoo Racing — World Endurance Championship · Toyota Gazoo Racing (official)
  4. 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship · Wikipedia
  5. 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans · Wikipedia
  6. 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans · Wikipedia
  7. 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans · Wikipedia
  8. Brendon Hartley · Wikipedia
  9. Brendon Hartley (Q361113) · Wikidata entity record

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by Kozmozracing. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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