Danill Kvyat declared it’s “great to be back” after beginning his third stint at Toro Rosso with a test day in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
The Russian, who was dropped from the Red Bull program after a tumultuous 18 months last October, was welcomed back by advisor Helmut Marko following Pierre Gasly’s promotion to replace Daniel Ricciardo next year.
And he wasted no time in setting about proving his worth once again as the Faenza-based squad produced another very good day.
“I think it was a very positive and good day as we covered 155 laps, which is about three Grands Prix in one day,” Kvyat said, in addition to the 150 Sean Gelael did on Tuesday.
“To be honest, I felt comfortable and confident straight away in the car which was great.
“What’s important about today was we were able to test a good amount of tyres for next year, gathering a lot of useful information and data for the team.
“I’m feeling really comfortable here and it’s great to be back, I’m really looking forward to next year!”
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The distance covered is a remarkable achievement for Toro Rosso and Honda, who have made great strides in recent months, and team boss Franz Tost was very satisfied with what was accomplished.
“In two days of the post-season Pirelli test, Toro Rosso Honda managed to complete an impressive 305 laps (1694km),” he confirmed.
“This is the highest mileage we have ever achieved in a two-day test, so I’d like to congratulate the team and Honda for their hard work, as they’ve prepared a very reliable car.
“Sean Gelael drove for us the first day, and his precise technical feedback was a good basis for us to find an optimum setup for today’s test and for the 2019-spec Pirelli tyres.
“We were all more than happy to see Daniil back in Toro Rosso for the second day of testing, and he was able to immediately show a good performance,” he added.
“With all of the new data we’ve gathered, the engineers have a valid platform on how to prepare and run the tyres next year.
“We’re already looking forward to the next season, Daniil and Alex (Albon) are very competitive drivers and we can’t wait to see them on track.”