Daniil Kvyat hopes to return to the Formula 1 grid for a third time in 2022, ahead of what is set to be his last race at AlphaTauri.
Though still unconfirmed, Red Bull and Honda junior Yuki Tsunoda is expected to replace the Russian next year, this after securing enough points for the required superlicence with third in the F2 championship.
This would mean the second time Kvyat has been dropped by Red Bull in just over three years, following his tumultuous departure in 2017.
And the 26-year-old admits it has all been a bit of a blur.
“I think my career in F1 was extremely fast, like everything happened so fast sometimes,” he said ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Thursday.
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“After my first stint in F1, I didn’t even understand really what happened.
“I came after GP3, so I missed the step before Formula 1… not missed, but that was a decision that was taken at the time.
“I went to Toro Rosso, had a strong year in Toro Rosso at the time and then immediately promoted to Red Bull Racing after one year.
“Then I also had a strong season with Red Bull Racing there. Then we all know what happened, I had a couple of tough years.
“I think I always lacked a bit of experience in F1 actually because everything happened so fast.”
After his first split with Red Bull, Kvyat was given another chance by Ferrari as a reserve driver, a spell he said reinvigorated his passion for racing.
And during this two-year stint, he has proven much more resilient even if he was outperformed by teammate Pierre Gasly.
“When I came back last year in 2019 I just took a very different approach,” he said.
“Not that I forgot everything that I’ve been doing before but I just started from a very fresh page in a way a bit like a rookie again.
“I managed to learn new things and also this year I managed to feel a lot of progress.
“I think, all in all, the last two years were very competitive.”
As for what comes next, Kvyat is keen to stay associated with F1, perhaps rekindling the development driver role he had at Ferrari.
“I am open to many things, and of course I would consider this as well,” he said. :But first, I want to finish the season and then I will start taking decisions.
“In case I wouldn’t have a seat for 2021, I want to do my best to come back to Formula 1 in 2022.”
