Daniil Kvyat heads to the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix full of confidence following a successful return to the Formula 1 grid.
Kvyat returned to Scuderia Toro Rosso following a year on the sidelines with Scuderia Ferrari to score a point in Australia. The Russian was pleased to find Toro Rosso well and truly within the mid-field battle.
“The way things went in Australia meant it was a very good way to start the season,” said Kvyat. “It was a real confidence boost for the team because the indications are that we are in the mix with everyone. It puts us all in a positive frame of mind as we go to the next race in Bahrain. It’s clear we can fight with others, with the teams around us in the midfield, which is very promising.
“We have to keep working hard on developing our package and improving our understanding of the car. I also have to work hard with my engineering crew, to ensure we extract everything out of the car in every session we have on track and we can see where that takes us in Bahrain.
“In Australia, I was impressed with the way the team worked operationally with everyone, as the mechanics and engineers all played their part. It’s good to see this spirit in the team and we need to continue with this approach in the coming races.”
Kvyat has previously struggled to get to grips with the Bahrain International Circuit but believes this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix will be more indicative of the rest of the season than the unique Albert Park Circuit in Australia.
“I’ve not had any particularly great results in Bahrain in the past, but the track is interesting and nice to drive. It’s a very different circuit to Albert Park, it’s a real race track and therefore it will be a very good test for us to see how the car works there.
“Bahrain is more similar to many other tracks on the calendar than Albert Park, so we should get a slightly clearer idea of where we are and how good our car is.
“The temperatures will be higher than in Melbourne, so again it will be more representative of the tyre conditions we will encounter during the major part of the season.”
