Kvyat retained by Toro Rosso for 2017

2017 F1 season

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Daniil Kvyat will remain at Toro Rosso for the 2017 season, the team has confirmed.

The Russian driver rejoined the team at the fifth round of this season after losing his place at Red Bull to Max Verstappen. Kvyat made his F1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2014 before being promoted to Red Bull at the end of the year.

“I’d like to thank Red Bull, Dr [Helmut] Marko and all the team for their support and the faith they have shown in me since I returned to the team earlier this year,” said Kvyat. “I’m very happy to stay with a team that feels like home to me.”

Toro Rosso’s decision is a blow to the team’s junior driver Pierre Gasly, who is in contention for this year’s GP2 title and was considered a candidate for the seat.

The team has previously announced Carlos Sainz Jnr will remain with them for a third season next year.

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost said Kvyat is “back on top form” after being demoted by Red Bull.

“There are so many new elements coming to Formula One in general and to our team specifically, in terms of the change of power unit supplier, that having the same two drivers gives us stability and a benchmark to work from.”

“For Carlos, it will be his third year with us, which speaks volumes when it comes to how highly we rate him. In recent races, it has been clear that Daniil is back on top form. I always told him that his future with us was in his hands and he has stepped up to the mark and delivered the sort of performances that have ensured his 2017 seat in the STR12.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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33 comments on “Kvyat retained by Toro Rosso for 2017”

  1. They’ll be hoping Gio wins GP2 then, so Gasly doesn’t have a “year off” like Palmer and Stoff did.

  2. That makes it the most experienced Toro Rosso driver lineup ever. With James Key on board, the up-to-date Renault engine and Daniil/Carlos at the wheel, STR is all of a sudden a real threat to FI, Williams and McLaren

  3. Gasly to Renault for 2017 confirmed?

    1. They’ve signed Hulkenburg.

  4. Very pleased to hear this. It was in many ways a bit unfair, and more importantly, disheartening, for Kvyat, so I think it’s fair that he gets the opportunity. Hopefully it shows that they have confidence in him as a driver.

    1. +1 very decent of them, and good of Kvyat to have earned their confidence.

  5. Super news – this marks a real step change in the Red Bull rationale and Kvyat was the litmus test. They don’t need an eternal conveyor belt of drivers through both teams – it destabilises the team and it destabilises the drivers.

    Red Bull already have four tremendous drivers, so introducing the far from proven quantity of Gasly is an unnecessary risk. The Red Bull junior ladder is about finding champions, so if Gasly had been a superstar they rightfully should have stood Daniil down; but Pierre has had anything but a smooth career since he started driving power sensitive cars in 2014 (it for instance took Gasly thirty-six races in GP2 before he claimed his first win – Vandoorne won his first race). If Gasly is better than Kvyat, sure, make the switch, but only if he’s better. Gasly has had plenty of test mileage and it is no complement to him that the team had so much data but decided against promoting him.

  6. Has Gasly left the Red Bull program?

    1. AFAIK, no, he hasn’t left the program. He’s at COTA with the RB team as a test/reserve driver.

      1. Now I feel stpudi. That’s cleared it up for me

    1. I’m guessing Gasly is underwhelming in the simulator.

  7. They should have waited for making this decision until at least the Abu Dhabi weekend when the GP2 season ends as well. I wonder what will happen if Gasly wins the GP2 title then, which would mean that he can’t continue in GP2 next year.

  8. I’m surprised, but it’s a fair decision.

  9. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
    22nd October 2016, 16:42

    Red Bull program is a real successful one.
    Vettel (lent to BMW for that one race), Ricciardo (lent to HRT, but he was always a RB driver), Verstappen. All of them spotted by RB, now all of them race winners.
    Kvyat is not bad. He was just brought too soon to the big team. But he has already delivered podiums.
    Now it’s turn of Sainz to grab a podium. It’s unfair to demand that from a Toro Rosso, but hopefully Red Bull will try to improve the B team next year. I agree with the comments above. Toro Rosso can be on par with Williams if they mix the right elements together.

    1. In years to come the record books will say he beat Ricciardo in 2015 and Ricciardo will surely be a world champion one day. I know there were many reasons for that but after the fanboys of the day move on there will ne no list of reasons given in the record books. He is not as good as Ricciardo but he beat him.

      1. That’s why statistics don’t always paint the perfect picture and we should look at other things as well.

        1. 20 years from now its hard to temember all the little things that happened in practice quali and races throughout a season. Name of the game is getting the most points in a season I prefer to simplify it when looking at the past. Who won won and if you are really good no matter what you will win more than your peers over your career. In 2015 Kyvatt can factually claim to have beaten Ricciardo and by then Ricciardo maybe a multiple champion. In yerms of being resigned I think he deserves the chance as his 1st 2 years were very good and this year he had enourmous pressure heaped on him by what happened mid season. I think F1 currently has its strongest driver lineup throughout the field ever. For me Palmer appears the worse but thats all tealtive as he also seems a solid driver.

          1. “Name of the game is getting the most points in a season”, so if you’re not the champion, then you’re second or worse, and that reminds me of another inspirational celebrity quote: “if you are second, you are only the first in a long line of losers”. :P

    2. In fact Red Bull did not discover Verstappen, they just grabbed him before Mercedes did but the whole paddock was already interested in him.

  10. His performance has improved a bit over the last few races, but I have to say I wasn’t expecting this. I imagine there are some outside influences on this decision. Not that I mind him getting another chance, he crumbled under the pressure this year but if he can get over that weakness he has the talent to re-establish himself.

    1. @george I guess this news will also ease his mind now. So it wouldn’t surprise me to see him delivering even better in these last races of the season.

    2. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
      22nd October 2016, 18:53

      @george I guess this news will also ease his mind now. So it wouldn’t surprise me to see him delivering even better in these last races of the season.

  11. Good news I think. I did not see any real reason for him to be replaced. The possible replacements won’t hurt with another year’s apprenticeship.

  12. So, whoever comes out on top next year stays? Gasly deserves a shot at some point. Sainz and Kvyat are both great drivers however, so it’s a nice problem to have for Red Bull.

  13. Good news. While many times Danil “Torpedo” Kvyat diasapointed, many times he also impressed. And does deserve another year. Besides STR is a real contender this season. With 2016 engine, they would probably be fighting for 4th place.

    The most achievable by midfield team with limited funding.

    Sainz is confirmed aswell? Probably. Good times then.

  14. Did Putin threaten to nuke Austria?

    Silly humour aside… very very pleased for Kvyat. He would have taken a big hit to his confidence despite what Marko, Horner and others said, so for them to have walked the talk is good.

  15. Right call, I think. Kvyat still has plenty to offer, and Gasly hasn’t really done what he was supposed to in GP2. I think they’d have expected him to do a Vandoorne if Prema were competitive (and they have been)… instead, he’s been matched by a rookie team-mate.

    Kvyat’s the better option.

  16. I’d surely pick Giovinazzi over Gasly. Also, I’m not sure Gasly is better than Kvyat, at least for now. With only one gp2 weekend remaining I fail to see how Gasly can turn the impression he gave this year; good qualifier but too many errors, difficulties with tyre management and lack of self-confidence. Hope he can improve on those points.

  17. While Helmet Marko is apparently a fan of Piere Gasly’s it seems that a lot of people within Red Bull & STR are not convinced that he’s anything that special.

    There not only looking at how long it took him to win a race at the WSBR/GP2 level but also how close his rookie team mate Antonio Giovinazzi has been to match (And often be faster than) his pace in GP2 this year.

    The decision to stick with Kvyat was apparently something made very recently & something that happened very quickly after Gasly’s recent run in an F1 car in which he seemingly didn’t impress many.

  18. Good news. I really felt for him when he was demoted. I think he deserves another chance.

  19. I am pleased about to hear this. Kvyat is a very good driver.

  20. We all already knew Kvyat was gonna be confirmed. STR needs a backup driver just in case RBR and Renault reach an agreement on Sainz. Renault remains VERY interested on him and RBR needs Gasly as a backup. If they get rid of Kvyat, then there would be no one as backup. Keeping Kvyat is not RBR best option, but their only one.

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