Hartley F1 drive in near future 'not possible'.

Despite mounting media speculation, it seems that teenage sensation Brendon Hartley is not yet ready to make a move up into Formula 1 - be it in either a racing or testing role - his manager has insisted.

The young Kiwi was given the honour of being the first driver to try out Scuderia Toro Rosso's new STR3 during a brief shakedown at Varano in Italy back at the beginning of the month [see separate story - click here]. Since then there have been repeated noises that should Sebastian Vettel graduate to the Red Bull senior team in 2009 - as is expected and as was hinted by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently - Hartley would be perfectly-placed to step into the German's seat.

Hartley - currently competing for Carlin Motorsport in British F3 - has been a member of the Red Bull junior development programme since last year and conducted a Red Bull demonstration run in Saudi Arabia in March. His mentor Peter Johnston, however, told NZPA the 18-year-old still has a long way to go before he can fully prove himself worthy of a position in the top flight.

"In the near future, an F1 drive is not possible," Johnston underlined. "Brendon has to win the British F3 championship before he goes anywhere. He has to do very well this year and then move on to GP2.

"He is doing some componentry testing for Toro Roso but that is all it is. If he does good this year, he could become a full-time test driver with Toro Rosso next year."