Daniil Kvyat was left to ponder what might have been, having retired early in the running at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and causing the race’s first safety car in the process.
Kvyat had narrowly missed out on a Q3 berth on Saturday, lining up for the race in 11th place. A decent start off the line was compromised by running wide at the first turn, and unintentionally startled his team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr into a spin when rejoining the track.
By lap 10 the Russian was already out, his Toro Rosso grinding to a halt at the top of the hill without an ounce of drive left to give. He had retired from 11th place – having recovered a place due to Daniel Ricciardo‘s early pitstop – and felt a Top 10 was on the cars had he been able to continue.
“I watched the race with a very heavy heart because there was so much going on and I really wanted to be part of it!” he said. “It’s extremely disappointing, because I think we could’ve scored good points today. Unfortunately, the car just shut itself off and let us down…”
“Up until the race, the weekend had been perfect and I tried my best but, when things out of my control happen, I can’t do more. I will keep on fighting and working hard; I just need to do my job like I always do and not let days like this get me down.”
His fourth retirement this season – including Monaco where he failed to finish but was still classified for completing over 90% race difference – now means he languishes 25 points behind his team-mate Sainz. This puts further pressure on the Russian to retain his place at the Red Bull junior team, with Pierre Gasly waiting in the wings while plying his trade in Super Formula.
