Kvyat should branch out to prove F1 credentials - Hartley

Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley says Daniil Kvyat can make it back to Formula 1, advising the Russian to try different series in order to improve his skills. Kvyat was dropped by Toro Rosso midway through last season after an underwhelming run of form, having been dumped by Red Bull the year before.

Kvyat was demoted by Red Bull after an error-strewn start to the 2016 season, with Max Verstappen taking his place and going on to win in his maiden race for the team.

With his confidence shaken, Kvyat struggled to recapture the kind of form which had seen him promoted from Toro Rosso to replace Sebastian Vettel in the sister team in 2015.

Kvyat was monumentally outperformed by Carlos Sainz Jr last year and was replaced by Pierre Gasly for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Ferrari have signed Kvyat as a development driver but he is yet to announce any additional race activity.

Hartley was dropped from Red Bull's junior program in 2010, but finally made it back to F1 last year - briefly partnering Kvyat at Toro Rosso - after an impressive stint in the World Endurance Championship, featuring two title-winning years with Porsche.

Asked if seeking a drive in another series could help Kvyat back to F1, Hartley told ESPN: "I think yes to all the above, and I think endurance racing taught me a lot.

"I think young drivers are sometimes very guilty of immediately blaming the equipment or the team, rather than looking inward a little bit.

"I think endurance racing teaches you that because against two top team-mates you're in the same car, there's no hiding, and then you start learning off each other.

"You really have this open environment where, if one guy is quicker, you have to accept that very quickly and say 'yeah, he was quicker today', what's he doing, let's chat to him and work it out.

"That for me taught me a lot. There's a bit of respect in there as well because you do your best to deliver your best performance every single day, but actually accepting that on a given day your teammate can do a better job than you - endurance racing teaches you that and can definitely help you out being a more rounded driver."