Kvyat 'set for shock F1 comeback'

Daniil Kvyat could be set for a surprise return to the Formula 1 grid in 2019, Autosport have reported, as Toro Rosso consider bringing the Russian back to the team for a third spell. Pierre Gasly's promotion to Red Bull has left the sister team short of options for next year.

Red Bull's young drivers have typically risen into F1 through Toro Rosso, but they are struggling with top academy prospect Dan Ticktum unable to secure a super licence in time for 2019.

Brendon Hartley has teamed with Gasly in 2018, but the Kiwi is yet to convince fully and saw his future in the team put into doubt by a mid-season bid for McLaren's Lando Norris.

If McLaren do not give Norris a race seat alongside Carlos Sainz Jr in 2019, he could still be of interest to Toro Rosso as they seek a makeweight in any deal that will take technical director James Key to Woking.

With potential drivers light on the ground, it has now been claimed that the team could once again give Kvyat a chance.

The Russian had a rollercoaster career in F1 after making his debut for Toro Rosso as a 19-year-old in 2014.

After just one season he was promoted to Red Bull as four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel's replacement and outscored Daniel Ricciardo in the 2015 campaign.

However, an error-strewn start to 2016 - which saw him crash into Vettel twice in the opening four rounds - piled pressure on the Russian, with extra scrutiny added as Max Verstappen's camp sought a swift ascension.

They were swapped at the Spanish Grand Prix, which Verstappen won, but Kvyat's confidence never recovered and he scored points in just five of the following 31 races, which prompted Toro Rosso to drop him and draft in Hartley.

Kvyat made one final appearance at last year's United States Grand Prix, with Gasly absent chasing the Super Formula title, but a 10th-place finish was not enough to earn a full-time seat and the Russian has spent 2018 serving as a test and development driver for Ferrari.