Tost: Kvyat 'deserves to be in F1' despite sacking

Toro Rosso team chief Franz Tost is hopeful that sacked driver Daniil Kvyat can secure a Formula 1 role in the near future, saying the Russian “deserves” to be on the grid.

Kvyat was dropped twice through 2017 by Toro Rosso due to a lack of performance, with his final appearance coming at the United States Grand Prix before Brendon Hartley took his seat for the remaining three races of the season.

Kvyat was dismissed from the Red Bull motorsport programme altogether after spending the majority of his racing career under its umbrella, and is now considering his options for 2018.

Speaking to the official F1 website, Tost spoke warmly of Kvyat’s talent and ability, admitting that reliability issues may have contributed to his dip in performance and eventual sacking.

“I am still convinced that Daniil has a very high natural speed. He was sometimes even faster than Daniel Riccardo,” Tost said.

“But somehow last year and this year he couldn’t show the potential that is within him. He was involved in many incidents, but in his defence I also have to say that he had many reliability issues and that didn’t help build up confidence.

“Being the victim of too many incidents killed the performance he would have been able to show.

“Maybe a short break – to get organized again – and probably we will see Daniil back at his usual performance level with another team.”

Asked what Kvyat’s key problem had been, Tost said the Russian was often “too aggressive” at the start of a race.

“The first corner was his weak point. He wanted too much in the first hundred metres – success by any means,” Tost said.

“That puts you under pressure – unnecessary pressure – and that never works.

“I hope for him that he gets another chance, as I think he deserves to be in F1.”

Kvyat is known to be in contention for an F1 seat with Williams for 2018, but is not the team’s first choice, with recent reports claiming compatriot Sergey Sirotkin is now leading the chase for the drive.

The 2013 GP3 champion is poised to test a Formula E car in Marrakesh next month, and recently appeared at a Euro NASCAR test in Italy.