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Daniil Kvyat's nine lives as an F1 driver are almost over, what next?
In recent years, Daniil Kvyat has seemed to have nine lives. But at the end of this season, Daniil Kvyat's F1 career seems to be coming to an end, for real this time. Here is a brief overview of his erratic life as an F1 driver and his chances for the future.
Daniil Kvyat was just 19 years old when he made his debut for Toro Rosso in 2014. In his first race in Australia, he immediately scored points, making him the youngest driver in history to achieve this.
Verstappen in the way
He couldn't enjoy that record for very long, because just over a year later Max Verstappen took it away from him. And that wouldn't be the first time this happened. The advance of the Dutchman in Formula 1 is running parallel with the decline of the Russian.
When Sebastian Vettel left for Ferrari at the end of 2014, a place became available for Kvyat at Red Bull Racing. Although he performed quite well in the first season in the shadow of Daniel Ricciardo, it turned out at the beginning of 2016 that the switch might have come a little too early.
Kvyat did take a podium place, but he also made a few big mistakes. That was enough for Red Bull and Helmut Marko to replace him with Max Verstappen for the Spanish Grand Prix. With that, the fate of Kvyat was actually already sealed.
Kvyat at Toro Rosso is no longer the same
Kvyat's confidence levels took a big blow. He was completely overshadowed by Carlos Sainz, while he was still a match for Ricciardo the year before.
Halfway through the 2017 season, Red Bull ran out of patience and he was replaced by New Zealander Brandon Hartley. Another Helmut Marko experiment that wouldn't work. That erratic treatment of the Red Bull juniors, on the other hand, gave Kvyat a second chance when he was suddenly called up again at Toro Rosso.
The second chance
Kvyat had clearly made a step forward. He may not have been faster, but he was more mature. He became a father and there were less drowsy moments on the track, something that earned him another podium place in the pouring rain at Hockenheim.
At the end of this season, the curtain seems to be finally falling for Kvyat. Pierre Gasly has proved structurally faster in 2020 and Yuki Tsunoda is being prepared to join AlphaTauri.
What's going to happen next for Kvyat? He is still only 26 and thus has plenty of potential. Though it seems unlikely that he'll be in Formula 1 in 2021. Everything will probably depend on Tsunoda and whether the Japanese will get his super license.
What does the future look like for Kvyat?
Should this succeed, we will almost certainly not see Kvyat back on the F1 grid next season. A possibility in which he seems to resign himself. “So be it”, was his response to Motorsport.com. But what are his options besides a race seat at AlphaTauri?
There is of course always the possibility that he will work as a test and reserve driver. After his earlier dismissal from Red Bull, for example, he did a lot of simulator work for Ferrari, a service that the Italians were reportedly very satisfied with.
He could also fulfil the Hülkenberg role in 2021. In the midst of this coronavirus crisis, there is always the chance that drivers suddenly drop out. If the Hulk already has a seat himself, Kvyat can be the ultimate replacement.
Finally, Kvyat has some important connections when it comes to his nationality. Russia is an important sales market for many companies and there are also teams that almost exclusively employ Russians. SMP Racing is the best-known example of this. Should he race for them, chances are we will see him back in the WEC.
This article was originally published on GPblog.com/nl and was created by Pelle Gerritsen