An overheating battery ultimately caused Daniil Kvyat to end his Italian Grand Prix, with his Scuderia Toro Rosso team deciding it would be best to retire to conserve some engine life when the Russian was well outside the points.
Kvyat had already been struggling with his downforce levels following early damage to his floor, and he was never in contention for a points finish on a track the team knew was always going to be difficult, especially with the 2015 Ferrari power unit.
Just to add to Kvyat’s woes during race, the Russian was also penalised for speeding in the pit lane, and was handed a five second time penalty as a result.
“Not the race we wanted,” admitted Kvyat. “We had an issue with the floor, which got damaged after Turn 1, as I was sandwiched by a few cars, and we therefore lost a lot of downforce… A part from this, the battery was also constantly overheating, so we decided to retire the car.
“We knew it was going to be difficult here, but it’s a shame to have to end my race early… We just need to be patient and hopefully the next tracks will suit us better.”
