Kvyat ‘comfortable and confident’ on F1 return

Daniil Kvyat says he was left feeling “comfortable and confident” straight away on his return to Formula 1 machinery with Toro Rosso during the end-of-season test in Abu Dhabi.

Kvyat will complete a surprise return to the Toro Rosso squad he was twice dropped from in 2017, with the Russian taking the place of Red Bull-bound Pierre Gasly for 2019 alongside F2 frontrunner Alexander Albon.

Having spent the 2018 campaign acting as a development driver for Ferrari, Kvyat got his first taste of Toro Rosso’s 2018 car as he completed 155 laps - the equivalent of nearly three grands prix around the Yas Marina Circuit – and ended the second and final day of the Pirelli tyre test eighth in the timesheets.

“I think it was a very positive and good day as we covered 155 laps, which is about three Grands Prix in one day,” Kvyat said.

“To be honest, I felt comfortable and confident straight away in the car which was great.

“What’s important was we were able to test a good amount of tyres for next year, gathering a lot of useful information and data for the team.

“I’m feeling really comfortable here and it’s great to be back, I’m really looking forward to next year.”

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost said he was pleased to see Kvyat return to the Faenza squad and was impressed that Kvyat was immediately up to speed.

“We were all more than happy to see Daniil back in Toro Rosso for the second day of testing, and he was able to immediately show a good performance,” Tost added.

“With all of the new data we’ve gathered, the engineers have a valid platform on how to prepare and run the tyres next year.

“We’re already looking forward to the next season, Daniil and Alex are very competitive drivers and we can’t wait to see them on track.”

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