Daniil Kvyat’s Podium Heroics Not Enough to Warrant a Red Bull Return

The 2019 British Grand Prix raised hopes that Formula One would be exciting again. A couple of weeks later, the German Grand Prix proved that this was not a one-off and the weather helped too. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen took a popular win and Sebastian Vettel pulled off an incredible comeback. However, one of the big stories was Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, who completed the Red Bull reunion

This podium prompted speculation that Kvyat could be primed for a return to Red Bull in place of Pierre Gasly. However, Red Bull motorsport advisor, Dr Helmut Marko was quick to rule out replacing Gasly before the end of the season.

Kvyat handed Toro Rosso their second ever podium in their entire career in Formula One. Their maiden podium came in 2008 at the Italian Grand Prix, also in wet conditions, at the hands of a certain Sebastian Vettel.

Speaking after the race, Daniil Kvyat reflected on the chaotic race. He declared, “It was a horror movie with a black comedy.”

“At some point I thought the race was done for me, but then it came alive again, it was an incredible rollercoaster. A bit like my whole career.”

This entire weekend was really special for Kvyat, as his girlfriend Kelly Piquet gave birth to their first daughter late on Saturday.

Now, the 25-year-old is on cloud nine, in spite of the lows of almost seeing his F1 career end altogether when he was ousted by Red Bull in late 2017.

“It was an incredible few years in my life,” said Kvyat. “It was sometimes tough times and I thought maybe Formula 1 was over for me, and especially the podium.

“I thought I would never have that again, but life just proves that if you work hard and never give up, things are possible.”

One of those possible ‘things’ is that Kvyat could return to Red Bull’s senior team, particularly as Pierre Gasly has struggled for much of 2019.

“It was hard work to reach this moment and hopefully I can send the message out there that I’m ready now to fight for this kind of moment on a consistent basis,” Kvyat said at Hockenheim.

However, Dr Helmut Marko – Red Bull’s ruthless driver manager – is ruling out changing the driver lineups at Toro Rosso or Red Bull at least for the rest of 2019. For Gasly’s sake, he had better pull up his socks. Another question to be asked is, ‘will Pierre Gasly bag a podium before Charles LeClerc bags a maiden victory?’

“We have the teams that we have and we will finish the season that way,” he said.

However, is there a chance for Daniil Kvyat to squeeze into Red Bull in 2020? If Pierre Gasly continues to underperform, the Russian may very well be on the receiving end of a Red Bull swap, this time in reverse. Kvyat is an experienced driver and his incredible consistency may give him a boost in his standing. Also, this podium will be a massive confidence booster.