Carlos Sainz Jr. says he is disappointed to see Daniil Kvyat dropped permanently from the Red Bull programme, and hopes that the Russian returns to the Formula 1 grid in the future.
The Spaniard joined the Red Bull programme on the same day as Kvyat back in 2009, but after being dropped from Scuderia Toro Rosso following the Japanese Grand Prix in favour of Pierre Gasly, and again after a points-scoring run in the United States Grand Prix, Kvyat has now officially been released by Red Bull, something that disappoints Sainz.
“We joined the Red Bull programme on exactly the same day in 2009, and in 2010 we did our first year,” said Sainz.
“I was hoping to have him also in F1 for many years, and I hope I find him back in F1 soon.”
Sainz, who has switched from Toro Rosso to the Renault Sport Formula 1 Team for the remainder of 2017 and into 2018 but remains an integral part of the Red Bull programme, with the Spaniard saying there is always a lot of pressure on him to perform.
“It’s probably the toughest platform out there,” insisted Sainz. “It’s the one that gives you the most, but it can also take away everything that it gives you.
“For me, and I think for everyone that has even been dropped by Red Bull or given a chance, I think without them we would have never had a chance to drive an F1 car or compete in F1. They are very tough, but they have reasons to be tough.
“It made me the driver I am today – without that pressure, without that ‘must win, must perform, must deliver’ like Helmut Marko says – it’s his favourite word, ‘deliver’ – I wouldn’t have taken a big step in 2014 to win the World Series [Formula Renault 3.5].
“It’s such a big pressure. I wouldn’t have taken a big step in 2015 as a driver, and I wouldn’t be a Renault driver now, after building up so much experience and confidence in myself.”
