Former F1 star makes Daniel Ricciardo favouritism claim

F1 News & Gossip

Former F1 star makes Ricciardo favouritism claim

Daniel Ricciardo was allegedly shown 'favouritism' during his time at Red Bull

Cal Gaunt

Tuesday 9 January 2024 21:57

Former Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat has shed light on his time with the team, recalling a time when he felt Daniel Ricciardo was being shown preferential treatment.

Despite alleging that the car was 'suited' to Ricciardo, Kvyat said he faced challenges but remained satisfied with his overall performance.

He also revealed that he was approached by Ferrari during the winter of 2015, initiating talks that eventually fell through due to his strong ties with Red Bull.

Daniel Ricciardo has been recently linked with a return to Red Bull

Daniil Kvyat says he could have joined Ferrari for the 2016 season

Kvyat:The car was suited to Ricciardo

“Back then, it was just a lot of flow, getting in the car and driving,” Kvyat told the official F1 website. “At that time, Daniel was at the peak of his performance, I think.

"The car was also suited [to] him and I had to work around a few issues, but still it was a strong season and it was a good performance, so I was quite satisfied with it.

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“The winter was a bit strange because I was approached by Ferrari, by [team boss] Maurizio Arrivabene. They were like, ‘We want you to drive for us’, and we started talking a bit more and more. At the end it was clear it wasn’t [going to work] because my ties to Red Bull were quite strong.

"We carried on into 2016, there were improvements that year from the car, but not when I was there at the beginning.”

F1 Red Bull Ferrari Daniel Ricciardo Daniil Kvyat