Daniil Kvyat to replace Pierre Gasly at Red Bull? 'He has the speed'

Daniil Kvyat

Kvyat to replace Gasly? 'He has the speed'

Franz Tost backs his driver.

Matthew Scott

Thursday 27 June 2019 12:39

Daniil Kvyat has been backed to make a success of a second stint with Red Bull, if he were to be drafted in to replace the struggling Pierre Gasly, according to his current boss Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost.

Gasly's position in the senior Red Bull team has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks as he struggles to adapt to the team.

He has finished behind a Renault in each of the past two races, far from ideal for Red Bull having ditched the French marque, with an Alfa Romeo and both McLarens also splitting Gasly and Max Verstappen in France, as well as Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari.

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Kvyat returned to the Red Bull fold for 2019, having spent last year as a Ferrari development driver after being kicked out of Toro Rosso in 2017, a year and a half on from his own demotion from Red Bull.

Although his career has been as tumultuous as most, Tost believes Kvyat can still be a success in a top team.

"No, I don't see it as a loss of face," Tost told the 'Starting Grid' podcast of his potential return.

"The decisive factor in Formula 1 is performance. If a driver delivers the performance, why not bring him back - if you are convinced that it is the right choice?

"Kvyat is a Red Bull driver. He is currently on loan to Toro Rosso. We'll see how all this pans out in the future.

"I would be happy if Dany could return to a top team, thus Red Bull. Why? Because I think he has the speed. If all the circumstances there are right, he can perform very well."

Gasly worked under Tost at Toro Rosso last year, and the Frenchman will find little sympathy over his current predicament from his former boss.

Tost said: "That's Formula 1. This is a high-performance area. If you don't deliver the expected performance, you will be criticised. You have to be able to deal with that."