A top Formula One commentator is confident Kiwi driver Brendon Hartley can handle the step up to the top division.
The Manawatu-born driver got the call-up to Red Bull's Toro Rosso team for next weekend's United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
Hartley will take the place of Pierre Gasly for next weekend's race while the Frenchman takes a brief break to compete in the Super Formula Championship in Japan.
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Speaking to Brendan Telfer on RadioLIVE's Saturday Sport, BBC personality Mark Gallagher insists Hartley can make the grade thanks to his previous work in single-seated cars.
"Brendon has already had a successful and mature career as a race driver," says Gallagher.
"He has raced single-seaters for many years before he turned his attention to endurance sports car racing.
"The endurance sports cars he has been driving, especially the Porsche, are extremely complex and very fast.
"They would have more aerodynamic down-force than, for example, an F1 car, and in reality, therefore, he is perfectly placed. He has driven those Porsche sports cars, which are very physically demanding to drive."
Racing alongside Hartley for the October 22 race will be Russian driver Daniil Kvyat, something that intrigues Gallagher.
"He is teamed in the US Grand Prix with a Russian driver called Daniil Kvyat, who was recently dropped by Red Bull; in fact, he has missed the last two Grand Prixs.
"Kvyat has raced with Red Bull Racing for four years, but been quite inconsistent, and the fact Red Bull will be able to benchmark Brendon against Daniel Kvyat will be very interesting indeed."
A good showing at the Circuit of Americas by Hartley could put him in a position to sign with the team for 2018.
Gallagher insists Toro Rosso won't be comparing Hartley to the big guns of the sport, but instead he fears Kvyat and how he handles the car.
"Red Bull will not be comparing Brendon Hartley's performance to that of Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari or Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes.
"They will simply be benchmarking him against his teammate [Kvyat] and the data of the other drivers who have driven the car over the years.
"These cars are basically 200mi/h computer systems, so basically the data that is available will give Red Bull the answer of the question on how good Brendon Hartley is.
"If he equips himself well, has a steady weekend, doesn't make any silly mistakes, which we aren't expecting him to do, who knows? This could be the launch pad for something big."
Toro Rosso Team Principal Franz Tost has indicated he's looking to use the American leg of the F1 Championship as an opportunity to evaluate new drivers to join the team for next season. But even a good performance could lead to a potential deal with one of the biggest teams in the sport in the near future.
"It is a unique opportunity, no question about it. This has not happened in many years that a driver has been parachuted in this way into Formula One.
"The Red Bull organisation owns Formula One teams in Toro Rosso and, of course, Red Bull Racing and Red Bull's two main star drivers, Daniel Riccardo and Max Verstappen, are coming towards the end of their contracts next year, and Red Bull maybe needing to fill their talent pipeline with up-and-coming talent.
"This is why this represents a remarkable opportunity, albeit one with lots of pressure for Brendon Hartley to show the world how good he is."
Mike Thackwell was the last New Zealander to compete in Formula One back in 1984.
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