Current Daniil Kvyat

Daniil Vyacheslavovich Kvyat or Danny Kvyat to you and I seemed to come as a shock to some as Toro Rosso's choice for a race seat that prompted all sorts of money accusations however if people had been paying attention then it might have been less of a shock.

With Ricciardo being promoted to the A-Team it was only logical that Toro Rosso were going to promote one of their youth squad to the race seat and whilst Kvyat was not at the front of the queue in the fame stakes he certainly got there in the results stakes. At the begining of 2013 he was third in line to the throne sitting firmly behind the ever popular 'oh-my-god-he's-a-future-world-champion' Felix Da Costa and the 'oh-my-god-he's-the-talented-son-of-a-rally-driving-champ' Carlos Sainz Jr. Da Costa was to run with the big boys in the 3.5 series, Sainz Jr was to run in GP3 with races in the 3.5 series when he could whilst Danny was to run in GP3 and as a none points scorer in European F3. Da Costa proceded to throw away his hard earned reputation with a string of mediocre results and as the season went on he looked more and more out classed by Magnussen and Van Dorne. Sainz Jr went at it like a wild man and never failed to look quick, however he was a complete magnet for accidents and most of the time you were watching him coming back through the field after having a nose cone taken off. Our friend Kvyat on the other hand played the slowly slowly catchy monkey game with a quiet but firm start to his GP3 season he kept himself in contention whilst his team sorted out issues with his tyres and then when it came to the start of the second half of the season in Spa he went into overdrive. In a GP3 season that has seen around 10 different winners and the winners of the feature races just falling off the pace in the sprint race Kvyat turned it on its head by winning the last 3 feature races and coming through the field for points finishes in the sprint races. At some points he looked Vettel like untouchable. If you look at that and compare it with what Da Costa and Sainz Jr were doing at the time it shouldn't be a shock to anyone that Toro Rosso decided he was the guy to promote.

Its no doubt that 2014 will be a tricky year for him in F1, although the commentators pronouncing his name will have just as tricky a time (The V is silent apparently). He's come in with brand new rules, very little track time and is up against a much under rated teammate in Jean Eric Vergne who might just have a point to prove. Also as Kyvat has spent the last 2 years winning everything in sight (GP3 Champion in 2013, Formula Renault 2.0 champion in 2012) it will take some time to adjust to fighting in the middle of the pack. Doesn't seem to be the best qualifyer in the world but he does seem to be very cool and calm under pressure and if you give him a good car he gets the best out of it. He also has the Vettel like ability of coming good just as its squeeky bum time.

No doubt you'll spend most of the year hearing about how he is the second Russian to race in F1 and that he'll be looking forward to his home race, however Kvyat was actually born in Bashkortostan which is a soverign state and a subject of Russia. So its all a bit Scotland/Britian which makes him Russia's answer to Paul Di Resta (although he'd prefer you to say Jackie Stewart). He was only born in April 1994 (only about a week before the death of Senna) which makes him not even 20 yet which always leaves the worry that he might crack under the pressure of it all.

It could be the Kvyat just becomes another name on the Red Bull failure list but don't think for a minute he hasn't earned his place in the team. I have a sneeky feeling he'll do better than a lot of people think he will do.

What do people think? Another Vettel or another Jamie Alguersauri?
 
Rutherford Err yes ..he is as good as Verstappen but every step he has been in Max's shadow from the moment when Helmut decided Verstappen was going to jump the queue and get promoted to Toro Rosso ahead of Carlos Sainz

Red Bull have held him back
It was either Sainz or Verstappen. Sainz lacks the backing from outside like Verstappen who has his daddy always standing by his side.
Someone is always going to be held back, it's a fault in the system, as there are only 2 available seats.
 
The fact is Red Bull / Helmut are doing everything to pamper Max Verstappen over everyone else. Carlos Sainz is being considered a back up alternative should either driver in the current line up leave.


I don't know what Red Bull were expecting from Kyvat either i) Get thrashed by Sainz ii) Thrash Sainz but not really giving him options to be promoted back to Red Bull?
 
Of course Verstappen he's being pampered, because Red Bull know that every other team would snap him up. He's only 20 years old and possibly a part of Red Bulls future return to success.

They expected Kvyat to return to his old form which promoted him to Red Bull in the first place. However, the demotion has contributed to a loss in confidence and morale on his part and thus, he isn't made for top level sport.
 
Kvyat is not, and never has been, good enough to drive for Red Bull. His 2014 form was awful; he got lucky that Vettel flew the coop when he did.

There is one simple guiding principle in F1 ‘politics.’

Money = Results = Publicity.

Verstappen nigh-on guarantees results. Sainz is a little more of a risk. Kvyat isn’t going to deliver. Red Bull were not going to persist with Kvyat with Verstappen available, just as Renault quickly jettisoned Palmer when Sainz became an option.
 
Kvyat has shown an equal, if not greater, aptitude for causing controversy by sticking his nose-cone into opponents. He’s even had an abortive run-in with Vettel.

Verstappen is a better driver.
 
Kvyat is not, and never has been, good enough to drive for Red Bull. His 2014 form was awful; he got lucky that Vettel flew the coop when he did.
His 2014 form was ok, considering he was a rookie. He raced next to Vergne who beat a slightly more experienced Ricciardo in 2012.
Indeed, he got lucky in that a position became available, because of Vettel’s move to Ferrari, but he also beat Vergne to the seat. In 2015, he then went on to beat Ricciardo in his first year at Red Bull, an achievement that often seems to be forgotten.
Where does that leave Ricciardo?

He’s not as crap as he’s being made out to be, unless Ricciardo is crap too. Kvyat has the skills, but probably lack the mental capacity to handle the F1 politics.
 
So what?
He got beaten by who "isn't and wasn't good enough" to drive for Red Bull.

Also Il_leone Verstappen beat Sainz 49-18 and 13-4, whilst being teammates at Toro Rosso. It's hardly a surprise that Verstappen got the drive at Red Bull, promoting Sainz would've been like Renault replacing Hulkenberg instead of Palmer for Sainz this season.
 
Vettel was beaten by Ricciardo who was beaten by Kvyat who must have been better than Vettel then, as was Vergne who also beat Ricciardo.

In fact when you look at it Vettel must indeed be crap.
 
Red Bull's tune were so two faced from China to Russia

Kyvat sticks his nose inside Vettel who thinks he was a bit OTT but gets a podium and the team congratulate him for great aggressive racing

Next race he crashes and knocks Vettel out who whines he should get his licence banned and Horner/ Marko decide to kick him to the kerb in public.

In the right team Kyvat will thrive maybe Red Bull should have promoted Jean Eric Vergne instead but they did not and in an unlike Red Bull manner they've gone for a driver over 25 years old in Hartley who admitted he was immature at 19 years old and needed to gain better experience and toughen to be ready for F1 now.

Red Bull/ Toro Rosso for the first time in awhile haven't got enough young drivers with potential to choose from
 
Dr. Marko made some charming remarks about Kvyat and his current drivers in an interview with a Spanish newspaper:

**Marko: Kvyat is better than Gasly or Hartley**

Helmut Marko, Red Bull consultant and presumably the person who promoted and fired Daniil Kvyat from F1, has praised the Russian driver. Actually, Marko thinks he is better driver than any of the two who have replaced him in Toro Rosso: Pierre Gasly and/or Brendon Hartley.

"**I absolutely agree about Kvyat having more talent than Gasly or Hartley**. Unfortunately, he only showed it during his first year in Toro Rosso and Red Bull. Since then, his performances have fallen down drastically", has stated **Marko** according to Motorsport Italia.

The 26's performance drop is due to various reasons. **Franz Tost**, his ex-boss in Faenza, **said recently that the main reason was that he was too optimistic during the first lap**. Marko, however, attributed other mechanical misfortunes that distanced him from his teammates. In addition, of course, to the psychological aspect.

"He had problems with the brakes and the tyres, problems that -Daniel- Ricciardo didn't have, but **something has happened to him from a mental point of view. He lost pace and self-confidence, and we still don't know what is the reason for this**. I tried some things to bring him back to his previous level, but he didn't become like his former self again, and unfortunately we don't have any idea what happened", Marko assures.

"There were too many incidents during race starts and **he didn't react very well to these situations, he isolated himself and didn't want to hear anyone say that it was sad**, because I remember at Monza and Spa, when he raced in GP3, when he demolished his rivals. He has done sensational races", concluded the melancholic version of the Austrian.
 
The problem is Kyvat has not got any career progression possibilities at Red Bull given they have identified their first 3 choices so it is a matter of kicking him down when things are going tough that was going to put him in the spotlight

You can blame the Renault engines but neither Hartley or Gasly have really shown what they can do . I think their inexperience and given the Honda engine could be a real baptism of fire or might just allow them to shine if the engine can hold it together for the race and is powerful
 
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