Daniil Kvyat says he is “ready” to race at the front of the Formula 1 grid after fearing his “career was over” last year.
The Russian has endured multiple highs and lows in just five years as part of the F1 paddock. From replacing Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull in 2015 to being demoted back to Toro Rosso just 17 months later.
Ultimately, he would be dropped from the Red Bull program after Austin 2017 at the lowest point, but Kvyat admits his following year as a development driver at Ferrari allowed him to put everything into perspective.
“My career evolved quickly. I had no time, I had to skip a few little steps but wasn’t a bad thing,” he told Formula1.com.
“Even last year, when I wasn’t racing, I wanted to get back racing, but sometimes, you need to take a little step back to go forward in the future.”
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Still only 25, Kvyat returned to Toro Rosso for the third time in his F1 career this year and he is pleased with his own performance.
“My career was over in my mind at some point last year and it was great to get another opportunity from Red Bull,” he said.
“They believed in me again and they offered me this chance to show that I learned from all the crises of the past and now I’m doing a better job.
“This year, I’ve been driving almost all year at my peak, driving better than ever and using my potential,” he claimed.
“It’s really enjoyable, that’s what makes me enjoy the sport so much and, of course, when the results come with it, it makes you enjoy it even more.
“So, it’s really good. It has been a good season so far, many points scored and a podium for a team that hasn’t had one for 11 years. It’s a fantastic achievement.”
Looking forward though, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has already indicated another year at Toro Rosso is the plan for Kvyat but that isn’t stopping him from having aspirations.
“I have no particular plan, especially with Red Bull – it’s hard to have a particular plan,” he says.
“Everything is quite open, I need to keep doing the job I’m doing. They said that they were happy with my year so far and just asked me to keep doing this job. They asked me to try to get the highest position possible for this team and then they will see where things will be.
“Whatever way it will go, I need to have patience. I need to accept that sometimes it might take time to get a chance at the highest level, but now I know that whenever the opportunity will come at the highest level, I’m ready. I’m more ready than ever.”