Although unable to score points in the Bahrain Grand Prix two weeks ago, Daniil Kvyat was pleased to see Scuderia Toro Rosso being competitive throughout, and it was only circumstances that denied him a potential second consecutive top ten result.
Kvyat had finished tenth in the Australian Grand Prix to open his campaign with a point, but a spin following contact with Alfa Romeo Racing’s Antonio Giovinazzi and then a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane restricted the Russian to a twelfth place at the Sakhir International Circuit.
Team-mate Alexander Albon did break into the points however in ninth, and Kvyat feels encouraged that both drivers were able to show good pace at times in Bahrain, something he hopes will continue this weekend in the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit.
“Not everything clicked together a hundred percent in Bahrain,” said Kvyat. “I didn’t get to do all the laps I wanted, so that didn’t help with the way the track evolves in Bahrain.
“We didn’t get the best out of Qualifying and the race itself was a little bit scrappy. However, on a positive note, my actual pace looked competitive, which is encouraging looking ahead to China.
“It’s also been useful to have the two days testing in Bahrain, with Alex working for the team, while I drove the Pirelli test. In China, we must work hard to get a good setup so that everything works at its best. If we do that, I believe we can have a really good weekend.”
Kvyat has good memories of racing in China, having taken a podium result back in 2016 during his tenure at Red Bull Racing, and he feels the track is interesting and a satisfying one to drive if able to get all the corners right.
“I have good memories of China, especially in 2016, when I went from sixth on the grid to stand on the podium in third place,” said the Russian. “It’s an interesting track with a good mix of some slow and medium speed corners and that very long straight: get it right and it’s a satisfying track to drive.
“There are some tricky sections, including the hairpin which, after the very long straight and hard braking, is challenging as are the first two turns – they are extremely long corners.”
Kvyat feels it is cool to be a part of Formula 1’s one-thousandth Grand Prix, and he believes the twenty drivers who will compete will be remembered fondly in the history books.
“This weekend will be the one thousandth Grand Prix and it’s cool to be part of that,” said Kvyat. “It means the drivers in this race will be a part of F1 history and it’s nice to be on the list.
“Shanghai itself is an exciting place and, although we don’t stay in the centre, I usually manage to spend a day there – it’s a very interesting city.”
