Daniil Vyacheslavovich Kvyat ( rus, Дании́л Вячесла́вович Квят, p=dənʲɪˈil vʲɪtɕɪˈslavəvʲɪtɕ ˈkvʲat; born 26 April 1994) is a Russian professional
racing driver who competed in
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
between 2014–2017 and 2019–2020. He became the second
Formula One driver from Russia and is the most successful of the four Russian drivers to date, with three podiums.
He was runner-up at the
2012 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, and a champion in
2012 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series and
2013 GP3 Series
The 2013 GP3 Series was the fourth season of the third-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also fourth season under the moniker of GP3 Series, a motor racing feeder series for Formula One and sister series GP2.
Following a three-year cyc ...
. He made his debut in
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
as a
Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso (; literal translation of "Red Bull Racing Team"), commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, was an Italian Formula One racing team. It was one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Re ...
driver in finishing 15th in the World Championship. He then moved on to
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing, also simply known as Red Bull or RBR and currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing, is a Formula One racing team, racing under an Austrian licence and based in the United Kingdom. It is one of two Formula One teams owned ...
to partner
Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Joseph Ricciardo ( "Ricardo", ; born 1 July 1989) is an Italian-Australian racing driver who last raced in Formula One driving for McLaren, under the Australian flag. He made his debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with the HR ...
for the 2015 season. He scored his first Formula One podium finish at the
2015 Hungarian Grand Prix
The 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Pirelli Magyar Nagydíj 2015) was a Formula One motor race that took place on 26 July 2015 at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, Hungary. It was the tenth round of the 2015 Formula One season and th ...
, finishing second behind
Sebastian Vettel. In his first season with Red Bull Racing, Kvyat finished 7th in the Drivers' Championship, ahead of his teammate. He started the 2016 season with Red Bull Racing, scoring his second podium, finishing third at the
2016 Chinese Grand Prix. However, following a controversial collision during the opening lap of his home race in Sochi, Kvyat was demoted to
Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso (; literal translation of "Red Bull Racing Team"), commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, was an Italian Formula One racing team. It was one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Re ...
ahead of the
2016 Spanish Grand Prix, where he finished the season and was retained by the team for the next season. Although consistently demonstrating solid qualifying performances in 2017, his season was plagued by various problems, including several retirements in races where he could have scored points. After the
2017 United States Grand Prix
The 2017 United States Grand Prix (formally known as the 2017 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on October 22, 2017, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, United States as the seventeenth round of t ...
, Kvyat and Red Bull parted ways, effectively terminating his contract. Kvyat spent 2018 as a development driver for
Scuderia Ferrari, before being re-signed by Toro Rosso for the season. At the
2019 German Grand Prix
The 2019 German Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz Grosser Preis von Deutschland 2019) was a Formula One motor race which was held on 28 July 2019 at the Hockenheimring in Germany. The race was the 11th round of the 2019 F ...
Kvyat claimed the third podium of his career by finishing third; this was also
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso (; literal translation of "Red Bull Racing Team"), commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, was an Italian Formula One racing team. It was one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Re ...
's second podium finish after they won the
2008 Italian Grand Prix
The 2008 Italian Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Gran Premio Santander D'Italia 2008) was a Formula One motor race held on 14 September 2008 at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza, Italy. It was the 14th race of the 2008 Formula One W ...
with
Sebastian Vettel.
In 2021 he was a reserve driver for the
Alpine F1 Team
Alpine F1 Team, competing as BWT Alpine F1 Team, is a Formula One constructor which made its debut at the start of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. Formerly named Renault F1 Team and owned by the French automotive company Groupe Renault ...
.
In 2022, Kvyat was entered to compete in the
FIA World Endurance Championship for G-Drive Racing, but this team withdrew on 6 March
in response to conditions introduced by the FIA following the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...
.
He called the restrictions "unfair and discriminatory".
Kvyat drove at the Indianapolis Road Course race in the
NASCAR Cup Series for
Team Hezeberg
Team Hezeberg Powered By Reaume Brothers Racing is a European-American professional stock car racing team that competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, fielding the No. 26 Toyota Camry TRD for Daniil Kvyat and the No. 27 Ford Mustang GT for L ...
on July 31.
Early life
Daniil Kvyat was born in
Ufa
Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...
,
Bashkortostan
The Republic of Bashkortostan or Bashkortostan ( ba, Башҡортостан Республикаһы, Bashqortostan Respublikahy; russian: Республика Башкортостан, Respublika Bashkortostan),; russian: Респу́блик ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
, on 26 April 1994 to Vyacheslav and Zulfiya Kvyat. Vyacheslav Kvyat worked for
Bashneft, initially as a mechanic at the Novo-Ufan refinery, but rose through the ranks to become the financial director of the export division until 1996. Later he branched out and worked with other energy companies, ending up as CFO of West Siberian Energy. At the same time he stood for election as a Deputy in the Bashkortostan state parliament.
Career
Karting (2005–2009)
In January 2005, Kvyat made his professional debut in motorsports winning his very first race in Sochi. During the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Kvyat participated in local events, including the Russian karting championship and cup as well as in the occasional races in Italy. Consistently demonstrating strong performances, he later moved to Italy to fully concentrate on racing in one of the most competitive environments. Kvyat's first professional team in Italy was Franco Pellegrini's crew.
During the winter of 2007, Kvyat's family moved to Italy to support his commitment demonstrated by his strong results. The young driver's parents stayed with him alternately, and he started education in Italian school, continuing to race in local tournaments. Before the start of the 2008 season, Kvyat, who had already proved himself in the Italian karting scene, signed a contract with the Zanardi factory team, led by well-known manager Dino Chiesa. Kvyat moved to the KF3 junior category and became a participant of the prestigious World Series Karting series. However, the Russian driver and Zanardi's partnership did not result in any success. He achieved European Championship qualification but Kvyat switched teams just before the championships started, to join privateers from Morsicani Racing, who used an FA Kart chassis. In their very first race, the new partnership produced an excellent result: Kvyat, who had tested the new kart of the new team just a couple of days before the start of the championship, not only made it to the finals but was fighting for the win.
Kvyat and Morsicani Racing won several prestigious competitions, including WSK rounds and the Bridgestone Cup. The Russian defeated his Zanardi ex-teammate,
Nyck de Vries
Hendrik Johannes Nicasius "Nyck" de Vries (; born 6 February 1995) is a Dutch racing driver who is currently serving as the reserve driver for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. He is confirmed to be driving full-time in Formula 1 at Scuderia A ...
, who was now a protégé of the McLaren Formula 1 team. Kvyat also won the ''Trofeo delle Industrie'', in the final heat of which Kvyat finished ahead of
Antonio Giovinazzi
Antonio Maria Giovinazzi (; born 14 December 1993) is an Italian racing driver who currently serves as the reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari, Haas and Alfa Romeo Racing. He was the 2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship runner-up and rac ...
and Rafaele Marchiello, future members of the
Ferrari Academy.
Kvyat's European winning streak continued at the beginning of the 2009 season. The Morsicani Racing driver won the prestigious Winter Cup in the KF3 category and then added more victories to his name in the WSK rounds in Sarno and Le-Castellet. His victory in the Winter Cup was especially outstanding because he made it to the top of the podium after starting from the last position on the grid, where Kvyat found himself as a result of a clutch failure in qualifying. Kvyat first made his way into the final heat and then, starting from P3, he won that race, overtaking Carlos Sainz Jr along the way. Kvyat became one of the leaders in the WSK series, and began to draw the attention of sponsors. In the spring, he got backing from the Russian Lukoil company. However, the young driver was also noticed by Red Bull. During the summer, Kvyat participated in his first testing session in an open-wheel car, arranged by Red Bull alongside
Carlos Sainz Jr, another candidate for the Red Bull Junior Team. Both drivers made a strong impression and signed contracts with the Austrian company.
Kvyat continued to race successfully in karting, taking the bronze at the 2009 European Championship one more time but was unable to reach the finals of the World Cup in Sarno. During the qualifying session slot, chosen for Kvyat by the team, it started to rain and his lap time was not fast enough in comparison with the times posted by drivers on the dry track. Improving his situation during the qualifying heats was barely possible, primarily because the team had decided to place their bets on their second driver, Italian Guliano Maria Niceta. Kvyat decided to part ways with Angelo Morsicani's team after the World Cup and joined the Intrepid factory team. He raced for Intrepid in the last two races of the WSK season, winning the final one. It was the last win of his career in karting as the Red Bull Junior Team bosses decided to progress Kvyat to the next level, straight into the cockpit of the Formula BMW car for the 2010 season.
Formula BMW (2010)
![Daniil Kvyat 2010 Formula BMW Malaysia April](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Daniil_Kvyat_2010_Formula_BMW_Malaysia_April.jpg)
Before the start of the European season, Kvyat travelled to Malaysia with the Eurointernational team, which prepared cars for both the Red Bull juniors, to race in the
Formula BMW Asian Championship, where he won his first race. However, his first races back in Europe were not very successful. Sainz, who had more tests under the belt before his debut in open-wheelers, was the first to deliver a result. However, by mid-season, Kvyat had improved his results. In Germany, he qualified in the front row for the first time and after that he finished every race in the points, including the final round in Monza, where he finished in 2nd place, making it to the podium for the first time during his debut European season. Two weeks later, Kvyat won a race in the Asian Championships in Singapore, a positive ending to his campaign in Formula BMW. The Bavarian company had earlier announced the closing of their open-wheel programme by the end of the 2010 season, so Kvyat could not continue to compete in the series.
Toyota Racing Series (2011)
Before the start of the 2011 season in Europe, Kvyat went for a pre-season boot camp in New Zealand to race in the Toyota Racing Series. He raced in four rounds for the Victory Motor Racing team, finishing fifth in the championship with a win in the Dan Higgins Trophy at
Manfeild
Manfeild: Circuit Chris Amon (formerly Manfeild Autocourse) is a motor sport circuit located in Feilding, New Zealand. It was built by thManawatu Car Clubin 1973 as a purpose-built course. In 1990 extra land was acquired and the circuit extensio ...
and another five podiums.
Formula Renault (2010–2012)
![Daniil Kvyat Moscow Raceway (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Daniil_Kvyat_Moscow_Raceway_%28cropped%29.jpg)
After two races with
Koiranen Bros. Motorsport in
2010, in the
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 finale at Barcelona and a fourth-place finish in the
Formula Renault UK Winter Series, Kvyat, and his Formula BMW and Red Bull Junior teammate
Carlos Sainz Jr., joined Koiranen for full 2011 seasons in both the
Eurocup and the
Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup
The Formula Renault Northern European Cup (formerly Formula Renault 2.0 NEC) was a Formula Renault, Formula Renault 2.0 championship originally held in Northern Europe (Germany, Netherlands and Belgium), but has expanded over the years to the whol ...
. He finished as runner-up behind Sainz, Jr. in the Northern European Cup standings with seven wins, including a hat-trick of wins at Monza. In the Eurocup he was outpaced by former Formula BMW rival
Robin Frijns
Robin Frijns (born 7 August 1991) is a Dutch motor racing driver. He is the 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion, and the first driver to have won the series in his debut season since Robert Kubica in 2005. Frijns is currently competing in F ...
and Sainz, scoring two wins at Spa and the Nürburgring.
For 2012, Kvyat remained in the Formula Renault category, competing in both
Formula Renault 2.0 Alps and the
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 series. His debut in the Alps championship was marked with a dominating double win at
Monza. In May he returned to the Eurocup, and recorded a double win in the opening round of the season at
Motorland Aragón
MotorLand Aragón (alternative Spanish name: Circuito de Alcañiz) is a race track used for motorsports located in Alcañiz, Spain.
The circuit was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke in conjunction with the British architectural bus ...
. In the Eurocup, Kvyat's main rival was
Stoffel Vandoorne
Stoffel Vandoorne (born 26 March 1992) is a Belgian professional racing driver who is currently racing for Dragon Racing in Formula E. He had previously competed in Formula One for McLaren from 2016 to 2018. He is currently a test driver of M ...
, who won four races ''versus'' Kvyat's six but he also never finished a single race below P4. Kvyat lost points at Nürburgring due to a wrong tyre choice by his team, and at Hungaroring after crashing with Oliver Rowland. The fate of the title was decided in the last round of the championship in Barcelona. Koiranen GP made a wrong call in the mixed conditions and selected wet tyres for Kvyat although the circuit was drying up after the rain; most of the other drivers on the grid started on slick tires. Thus, having lost several positions in the last part of the race, Kvyat did not score enough points to secure the title. In the Alps series, the Russian was fighting
Norman Nato
Norman Nato (born 8 July 1992) is a French professional racing driver who is currently driving for Realteam Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Nato is known for finishing as the runner-up in the 2010 F4 Eurocup 1.6 season and the 2 ...
. Barcelona hosted the series finale just a couple of hours after the finish of the Eurocup race. Two title contenders crashed out and, having more overall points in the championship, Kvyat won the title. Russian driver remained with the
Red Bull Junior Team
The Red Bull Junior Team is a driver development program run by the energy drink company Red Bull GmbH in an attempt to identify potential future racing stars in open wheel racing. The similar Red Bull Driver Search, now ended, was an American ...
and progressed to the
GP3 Series
The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and th ...
for 2013.
GP3 and European Formula 3 (2013)
![GP3-Belgium-2013-Sprint Race-Daniil Kvyat](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/GP3-Belgium-2013-Sprint_Race-Daniil_Kvyat.jpg)
Kvyat spent 2013 competing in the
GP3 Series
The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and th ...
with
MW Arden and the
European Formula 3 championship with
Carlin Motorsport
Carlin, formerly Carlin Motorsport, is a motor racing team based in the United Kingdom. It currently competes in five championships: FIA Formula 2 Championship, FIA Formula 3 Championship, F4 British Championship, BRDC British Formula 3 and ...
. Kvyat was a late registration for the latter series, and so he was ineligible for points. He scored five pole positions, seven podiums and a dominant win at
Zandvoort
Zandvoort () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach. It is bordered by coastal dunes of Zuid-Kennemerland National Park and the Amsterdam ...
. His first win saw an unusual mistake on the part of event organisers: there was no record of
National Anthem of Russia
The "State Anthem of the Russian Federation" is the national anthem of Russia. It uses the same melody as the " State Anthem of the Soviet Union", composed by Alexander Alexandrov, and new lyrics by Sergey Mikhalkov, who had collaborated wit ...
present at Zandvoort, and ''
"The Patriotic Song"'' by
Mikhail Glinka was played instead to celebrate Kvyat's win. After this race he was offered a contract as a Formula 1 driver by
Helmut Marko
Helmut Marko (born 27 April 1943) is an Austrian former professional racing driver and current advisor to the Red Bull GmbH Formula One teams, and head of Red Bull's driver development program.
Biography
Marko was born in Graz, Austria. He was ...
, head of the Red Bull Junior Team.
Carlos Sainz Jr joined Kvyat as a teammate once again in GP3, after a mediocre season in Formula 3. The season start was a challenge for both drivers: struggling to find appropriate settings for the cars, both Kvyat and Sainz failed in the season opener. They managed to catch up with the leaders after a few rounds, once the Arden engineers mastered management of the Pirelli tyres. Kvyat scored his first podium in the series at Hungaroring in July, then won the race in Spa in August to decrease the points deficit between him and the leaders in the drivers' standings. He went into the
Abu Dhabi event being a title contender and finally won the championship in his debut year. His performance in two final feature races at
Monza and Abu Dhabi was notable: Kvyat scored a pole, a win, led every lap and recorded the fastest lap, gaining the maximum points available at both races.
Formula One
Toro Rosso (2014)
![Daniil Kvyat 2014 China Race](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Daniil_Kvyat_2014_China_Race.jpg)
Kvyat became the second driver of the
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso (; literal translation of "Red Bull Racing Team"), commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, was an Italian Formula One racing team. It was one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Re ...
(STR)
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
team for the season, alongside Frenchman
Jean-Éric Vergne
Jean-Éric Vergne (born 25 April 1990), also known as JEV, is a French racing driver who competes in the FIA Formula E Championship with Dragon Racing. He became the 2017–18 ABB Formula E Champion, after clinching fifth in the New York ePrix ...
.
He replaced
Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Joseph Ricciardo ( "Ricardo", ; born 1 July 1989) is an Italian-Australian racing driver who last raced in Formula One driving for McLaren, under the Australian flag. He made his debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with the HR ...
, who moved to parent team
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing, also simply known as Red Bull or RBR and currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing, is a Formula One racing team, racing under an Austrian licence and based in the United Kingdom. It is one of two Formula One teams owned ...
. As a
test driver
In motorsport it is common to have one or more test drivers who work with the mechanics to help develop the vehicle by testing new systems on the track.
In specific motorsports Formula One
In Formula One, the term third driver is used to designa ...
for STR, he took part in Friday practice for the final two Grands Prix of the 2013 season, in
the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. Kvyat made his F1 debut—aged just 19—in the
2014 Australian Grand Prix, where he made it into the top ten in qualifying and finished 9th in the race, breaking
Sebastian Vettel's
record as the youngest points-scorer in Formula One. He went on to score points in the
Malaysian
Malaysian may refer to:
* Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia
* Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia
* Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...
,
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
,
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
Grands Prix,
finishing 15th in the World Championship. In September the organisers of the
inaugural Russian Grand Prix announced their intention of naming a stand in the
Sochi Autodrom
The Sochi Autodrom (russian: Сочи Автодром, Sochi Avtodrom), previously known as the Sochi International Street Circuit and the Sochi Olympic Park Circuit, is a permanent race track in the settlement of Sirius next to the Black Sea r ...
after him.
[
]
Red Bull (2015–2016)
![Daniil Kvyat 2015 Malaysia FP2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Daniil_Kvyat_2015_Malaysia_FP2.jpg)
Kvyat was promoted to Red Bull for the season, to replace the quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel, who would move to Ferrari. He took his first podium in the sport with a second-place finish at the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix
The 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Pirelli Magyar Nagydíj 2015) was a Formula One motor race that took place on 26 July 2015 at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, Hungary. It was the tenth round of the 2015 Formula One season and th ...
, the highest finish for a Russian driver in Formula One. As a result, Kvyat – aged – became the second-youngest driver to record a podium finish, after Vettel. In qualifying for the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix, Kvyat crashed heavily into the barriers, ultimately flipping the car. He was uninjured, and finished 13th in the race the following day. Kvyat ended the 2015 season with 95 points and 7th place in Drivers' World Championship, beating his race winning teammate Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Joseph Ricciardo ( "Ricardo", ; born 1 July 1989) is an Italian-Australian racing driver who last raced in Formula One driving for McLaren, under the Australian flag. He made his debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with the HR ...
by 3 points.
The 2016 season start was a challenge again, but Kvyat finished third in the third round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
, securing the first podium for Red Bull Racing in the new season. However, after an incident during the start of his home Grand Prix when Kvyat collided with Sebastian Vettel's car, team management decided to demote Kvyat back to Toro Rosso.
Toro Rosso second spell (2016–2017)
In the week following the , Red Bull announced that Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso (; literal translation of "Red Bull Racing Team"), commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, was an Italian Formula One racing team. It was one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Re ...
driver Max Verstappen would be replacing Kvyat beginning from the following round, the , with Kvyat returning to Toro Rosso alongside Carlos Sainz Jr. According to Red Bull's team principal Christian Horner
Christian Edward Johnston Horner (born 16 November 1973) is a British former racing driver and current Team Principal of the Red Bull Formula One team, a position he has held since 2005, winning eleven world titles (five World Constructors' C ...
, "Dany will be able to continue his development at Toro Rosso, in a team that he is familiar with, giving him the chance to regain his form and show his potential." Kvyat spent some time adapting to the team and the new car, and returned to good shape, posting several strong performances in qualifying and races. It was announced ahead of the that Kvyat had been re-signed to Toro Rosso for 2017 after much intense speculation.
Although the opening phase of the championship looked promising, with both the car and the drivers demonstrating solid speed, regularly making it into the top ten, Kvyat's season was plagued by multiple problems, including several retirements due to technical failures and occasional driver's mistakes. On 26 September 2017, Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso (; literal translation of "Red Bull Racing Team"), commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, was an Italian Formula One racing team. It was one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Re ...
announced the decision to replace Kvyat for the forthcoming with Frenchman Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly (; born 7 February 1996) is a French racing driver, currently competing in Formula One under the French flag, racing for Scuderia AlphaTauri. He is the 2016 GP2 Series champion, and the runner-up in the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 ...
, following a sustained run of underwhelming form from the Russian. Whilst confirming the decision to stand Kvyat down, in a statement, Toro Rosso added that the driver switch should not be considered a permanent parting of the ways, saying "This is not a case of goodbye for our Daniil, as he still remains part of the Red Bull Family." Kvyat returned to racing for Toro Rosso at the , following teammate Carlos Sainz Jr.'s move to Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...
, and Gasly attending the 2017 Super Formula Championship
The 2017 Japanese Super Formula Championship was the forty-fifth season of premier Japanese open-wheel car, open-wheel motor racing, and the fifth under the moniker of Super Formula. Yuji Kunimoto is the defending series champion.
Hiroaki Ishiura ...
finale at Suzuka. Despite securing a points finish it was not enough to secure his seat once more as Toro Rosso chose to continue with New Zealander Brendon Hartley
Brendon Hartley (born 10 November 1989) is a New Zealand professional racing driver who is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota Gazoo Racing.
He won the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship, alongside his t ...
and welcome the return of Gasly to complete the team's pair in preparation for Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. In the week between the United States and Mexican Grands Prix, it was confirmed by Helmut Marko
Helmut Marko (born 27 April 1943) is an Austrian former professional racing driver and current advisor to the Red Bull GmbH Formula One teams, and head of Red Bull's driver development program.
Biography
Marko was born in Graz, Austria. He was ...
that Kvyat would not return to the team and would be released out of the Red Bull driver development programme.
On the day of the Mexican Grand Prix, Williams technical director Paddy Lowe said that Williams were considering him as an option for the 2018 season.
Ferrari (2018)
After failing to attract a race seat for the 2018 season, Kvyat became the third driver for Ferrari. While mainly focusing on the team's simulator at Maranello, Kvyat drove the Ferrari SF71H
The Ferrari SF71H was a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by Scuderia Ferrari to compete during the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship. The chassis was designed by Mattia Binotto, Simone Resta, Enrico Cardile and David Sanc ...
for the first time at Fiorano, during a Pirelli wet weather test in April 2018.
Toro Rosso third spell (2019)
Kvyat rejoined Toro Rosso as a driver for the 2019 season, replacing the Red Bull-bound Pierre Gasly. This saw Kvyat race for the team he debuted in Formula One for a third time in his career. He initially raced alongside Thai driver Alexander Albon, who moved up from the FIA Formula 2 Championship
The FIA Formula 2 Championship is a second-tier single-seater championship organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Held on racing circuits, the championship was introduced in 2017, following the rebranding of the l ...
. Kvyat put in strong performances during the first half of the season, achieving six points finishes from twelve races. However, he suffered consecutive retirements in China and Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
, both as a result of collision damage. His points finishes included 7th place in Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
, a 9th place in Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
after starting from the back row of the grid and a shock 3rd-place podium finish at the rain-affected German Grand Prix
The German Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Deutschland) was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history; the Nürburgring in Rh ...
. This came after a strategy call to pit for dry-weather tyres before the rest of the field and an overtake on Lance Stroll
Lance Strulovitch (born 29 October 1998), better known as Lance Stroll, is a Canadian–Belgian racing driver competing under the Canadian flag in Formula One. He has driven for Aston Martin since , having previously driven for Williams and R ...
. This marked Kvyat's third career podium, and Toro Rosso's first podium since winning the 2008 Italian Grand Prix
The 2008 Italian Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Gran Premio Santander D'Italia 2008) was a Formula One motor race held on 14 September 2008 at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza, Italy. It was the 14th race of the 2008 Formula One W ...
.
During the summer break prior to the Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix (French: ''Grand Prix de Belgique''; Dutch: ''Grote Prijs van België''; German: ''Großer Preis von Belgien'') is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship.
The first national race of ...
, Kvyat's teammate Albon was promoted to Red Bull in August to replace Pierre Gasly, who was demoted back to Toro Rosso. Some questioned the decision not to promote Kvyat instead, as he had outperformed Albon during the first half of the season. Red Bull justified the move by saying they wished to trial Albon for the remainder of the season to decide who would partner Max Verstappen at the team in 2020. Kvyat produced an excellent drive in Belgium to finish in 7th place after starting in 19th due to power unit penalties. His third retirement of the season came at the next race in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
after suffering an oil leak. Kvyat recorded three more points finishes in the remainder of the season; two 10th-place finishes in Japan and Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, and a 9th-place finish in Abu Dhabi. He also finished in the points in 2019 Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico and the 2019 United States Grand Prix, United States, but was handed post-race penalties for causing last-lap collisions in both races, dropping him out of the points. Kvyat finished the season in 13th place in the championship with 37 points.
AlphaTauri (2020)
Scuderia AlphaTauri, AlphaTauri (previously Toro Rosso) retained Kvyat and Gasly for the 2020 Formula One World Championship, 2020 season. Kvyat retired from the first race of the season (the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix) due to a suspension failure. He received his first point of the season at the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix, Styrian Grand Prix with a tenth-place finish. He retired at the 2020 British Grand Prix, British Grand Prix after a heavy crash into the barriers that was caused by a tyre failure. Kvyat finished fourth in the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after a succession of overtakes on Alexander Albon, Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc after the Safety car restart.
The Russian finished the season 14th in the standings with 32 points, compared to team-mate Pierre Gasly who scored 75 points and finished tenth. His contract was not renewed and Yuki Tsunoda replaced Kvyat at AlphaTauri for 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021.
Alpine (2021)
In 2021, Kvyat was the reserve driver for Alpine F1 Team, Alpine, alongside Zhou Guanyu.
FIA World Endurance Championship
Kvyat was entered to drive for G-Drive Racing in the LMP2#LMP2, LMP2 class in the FIA World Endurance Championship, alongside James Allen (racing driver), James Allen and Rene Binder. However, G-Drive withdrew on 6 March, two weeks before the first race of the season, in response to conditions introduced by the FIA following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...
. Kvyat called the sanctions and restrictions against Russian athletes “unfair and discriminatory”.
NASCAR
In December 2017 Kvyat tested a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series racecar at a young driver test. Throughout 2021 and 2022, Kvyat attended multiple NASCAR Cup Series events including at Martinsville Speedway and Road America, and appearing in multiple teams' garages.
Kvyat is due to make three starts in the NASCAR Cup Series for Team Hezeberg
Team Hezeberg Powered By Reaume Brothers Racing is a European-American professional stock car racing team that competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, fielding the No. 26 Toyota Camry TRD for Daniil Kvyat and the No. 27 Ford Mustang GT for L ...
, with his car using the same number he used in Formula One, 26. He made his NASCAR debut in the 2022 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, finishing in 36th position after retiring from the race with suspension issues.
Personal life
Kvyat lived in Ufa
Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...
, Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
, until 2000 when his family moved to Moscow. This is where he first raced go-karts before first moving to Western Europe and racing competitively. Kvyat currently lives in Monaco. In addition to his native Russian, he is also fluent in Italian, Spanish, and English, and has some ability in speaking Finnish and Dutch.
Rules introduced for the 2014 Formula One World Championship allowed the drivers to pick their own racing numbers that they will carry with them for the rest of their careers. When asked about which number he wanted, Kvyat revealed that 26 was the number he had chosen as he had no previous connection to it, and that he wanted to make it successful.
Kvyat's hobbies include table tennis, Association football, football, wakeboarding and skiing. He also likes heavy metal music, and has cited Metallica's "Whiskey in the Jar" cover and Motörhead's "Ace of Spades (song), Ace of Spades" as his two favourite songs. He plays the guitar.
Until November 2015, Kvyat was one of the few drivers in motor racing to have an FIA Super Licence, but not a regular driving licence in his native Russia.
In January 2017, Kvyat began dating Kelly Piquet, daughter of three-time F1 World Champion Nelson Piquet. The couple's first child, a daughter, was born in July 2019. The pair split in December 2019.
Karting record
Karting career summary
Racing record
Racing career summary
† As Kvyat was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points
*Season still in progress
Complete Formula BMW Europe results
(:Template:Motorsport driver results legend, key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results
(Template:Motorsport driver results legend, key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
† As Kvyat was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
Complete Toyota Racing Series results
(:Template:Motorsport driver results legend, key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series results
(:Template:Motorsport driver results legend, key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results
(:Template:Motorsport driver results legend, key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
‡ As Kvyat was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score championship points.
Complete GP3 Series results
(:Template:Motorsport driver results legend, key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula One results
(:Template:F1 driver results legend 2, key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicates fastest lap)
Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
NASCAR
(Template:NASCAR driver results legend, key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Cup Series
Xfinity Series
References
Notes
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kvyat, Daniil
1994 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Ufa
Russian racing drivers
Russian expatriates in Monaco
Formula BMW Pacific drivers
Formula BMW Europe drivers
Toyota Racing Series drivers
Formula Renault Eurocup drivers
British Formula Renault 2.0 drivers
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC drivers
Formula Renault 2.0 Alps drivers
FIA Formula 3 European Championship drivers
GP3 Series drivers from Russia
GP3 Series Champions
Russian Formula One drivers
Toro Rosso Formula One drivers
Red Bull Formula One drivers
AlphaTauri Formula One drivers
EuroInternational drivers
Koiranen GP drivers
Arden International drivers
Carlin racing drivers
Karting World Championship drivers