Daniil Kvyat will return to Formula One after the Russian driver was handed a reprieve by Toro Rosso.
Kvyat was dropped from the Red Bull programme last season after a run of inconsistent and error-prone performances.
But the 24-year-old, nicknamed the ‘torpedo’ by Sebastian Vettel following a series of on-track altercations with the Ferrari driver two seasons ago, will be back on the grid in 2019.
“First of all, I would like to thank Red Bull and Toro Rosso for giving me this opportunity to race in Formula One again and I am particularly pleased to be returning to a team I know very well,” Kvyat said
following the announcement which coincided with his home race in Russia.
🇷🇺 ❓ pic.twitter.com/q1B1YVVDfz — Toro Rosso (@ToroRosso) September 29, 2018
“Toro Rosso has always made me feel at home and I’m sure it will still be the same next season.
“I never gave up hope of racing again, I am still young and I have kept in good shape to always be prepared in case another opportunity presented itself.
“I will give my best to deliver what the team expects from me and I can’t wait for everything to start again.”
Kvyat began his career with Toro Rosso in 2014 before he was promoted to Red Bull to partner Daniel Ricciardo.
"I never gave up hope of racing again"@kvyatofficial returns to @ToroRosso for 2019 >> https://t.co/XIvzT7VTun pic.twitter.com/8UbxpSdWIs — Formula 1 (@F1) September 29, 2018
But just four races into his second year with the team he was sent back to Toro Rosso following Max Verstappen’s emergence and Kvyat’s banzai opening-lap collisions with Vettel here in Sochi.
He was then dumped altogether towards the end of last year and released by Red Bull.
But he has been given a second go with Pierre Gasly moving to Red Bull to replace the Renault-bound Ricciardo in 2019.
È tornato! Scuderia Toro Rosso è felice dare il bentornato a @kvyatofficial, che correrà con noi nel 2019! Prenderà il posto di Pierre Gasly, che passerà a Red Bull Racing. Leggete tutto qui >> https://t.co/iU320eHyOq pic.twitter.com/79iqpR1ysM — Toro Rosso (@ToroRosso) September 29, 2018
“I believe Daniil deserves another chance in Formula One,” Franz Tost, the Toro Rosso team principal, said. “Daniil is a high-skilled driver with fantastic natural speed, which he has proven several
times in his career.
“There were some difficult situations he had to face in the past, but I’m convinced that having had time to mature as a person away from the races will help him show his undeniable capabilities on
track.
“I feel the best is yet to come from his side. That’s why we are happy to welcome him back to our team, to start a successful season together.”
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