Daniil Kvyat made a successful comeback to Formula 1 at the Australian Grand Prix. Kvyat sat out last season without a drive but stayed in the F1 paddock as Scuderia Ferrari’s development driver in 2018. The Russian has now got a third chance with the Scuderia Toro Rosso team this season.
Kvyat had a scrappy qualification as he finished in fifteenth position only, but he fought back in the race to finish in tenth position and earn a point, with the Russian happy after an eventful race.
“It was an excellent race today!” said Kvyat. “I’m happy with the way I drove and it was really enjoyable.
“There was a lot of positives to come from the race – it’s just a shame about yesterday’s qualifying as we had the opportunity to start a bit further ahead!
“We had good tyre management throughout the race and we definitely had the pace to fight for higher positions but, as we know, it’s difficult to overtake around Albert Park.”
Kvyat was involved in a tough scrap with Lance Stroll for ninth position. As Kvyat tried to overtake the Racing Point F1 Team racer he overcooked it and took an excursion through the gravel.
“I tried to catch Stroll, but I was a bit on the edge and I couldn’t make it,” he revealed as overtaking continued to prove difficult despite the new aerodynamic regulations for 2019.
Daniil Kvyat Holds Off Pierre Gasly
Kvyat was more successful in keeping Pierre Gasly in the faster Red Bull Racing car behind him and he was satisfied to be able to keep behind him a driver from one of the leading teams.
“I had a good battle with Pierre towards the end of the race, I felt like I could fight him well and at the end it was satisfying to keep a quicker car behind almost the whole race,” he said.
“I know we have a good package with the car and the engine, so we need to keep developing it. I’m very optimistic for the next few races and I think it’s possible to achieve good results.”
The next Formula 1 race is the Bahrain Grand Prix from 29-31 March 2019.
