F1
Daniil Kvyat celebrated perhaps his best ever F1 season in 2019, and looks to shine once again with Scuderia AlphaTauri in 2020.
Daniil Kvyat’s return to Toro Rosso (now Scuderia AlphaTauri) in 2019 was a resounding success. It’s the pilot’s third spell with the Italian team and one that saw the cool-as-ice Russian reach new milestones both for himself and his team. We caught up with Kvyat to discuss his goals for 2020, excitement around the season’s new tracks, and what it’s like to race for Scuderia AlphaTauri.
2020 goals
The 2019 season was hugely successful for the Faenza-based outfit and perhaps even more so for its 25-year-old driver. The partnership with Honda power units gave the team stability to build on the STR13. Unlocking more power from the engine through the season paid dividends on track. That gave Kvyat the platform to deliver the team its first podium in 11 years with third place at the German Grand Prix. The previous day, he became a father for the first time. So what has the ace racer set as his target for 2020?
“You can always improve, so I’ll keep working on my personal improvement as a driver,” Kvyat explains. “I’ll try to get as many good finishes for the team in order to help secure a good position in the championship. 2019 was a good year for me, with 10 top-10 finishes and a podium in Hockenheim, so it’s definitely a year to remember, but there’s obviously room for improvement. I wouldn’t say I’ve set myself any specific targets for this year; I want to keep doing what I was doing, but better.”
Were Kvyat to improve on last year’s efforts, 2020 would be another stellar season, but just how high are the team aiming – is the goal a top-five finish? “You always want to improve on the previous season. Considering how tight the midfield battle was and not knowing if and how we have all progressed it’s impossible to predict, but we want to be leading the midfield pack.” Kvyat adds, “We should just try to perform well at every race and that will bring us another strong season.”
New challenges
This year poses a whole new set of challenges for the newly-rebranded Scuderia AlphaTauri, with an extended schedule of 22 races and seven back-to-back Grand Prix weekends promising a season rich in drama. Is Kvyat feeling the heat? He says:
“I think it should be a really exciting season for the fans and for us drivers. I think now with the field being so competitive and so tight at the front and in the midfield, we’re going to have some races where there’s going to be a lot happening. I hope that trend is going to stay because there may be some opportunities for us to grab some bigger points. Let’s see how we handle 22 races, in what’s going to be the longest season in F1 history.”
Equally exciting is the introduction of two new races – one in Holland, the other in Vietnam. Kvyat tells us he once competed at Zandvoort in his younger days, competing in Formula Renault 2.0, and also won a race there in Formula 3, so the track offers happy memories. As for Vietnam, he adds, “Vietnam looks like a very interesting configuration. I would expect something similar to Baku. At every street circuit there can be a lot happening, so it should be fun.”
Vietnam looks like a very interesting configuration. I would expect something similar to Baku. At every street circuit there can be a lot happening, so it should be fun
And while we’re talking about changes, it would be remiss not to mention the introduction of Scuderia AlphaTauri, as well as a new car for Kvyat to work his magic in. But what do these changes mean to the driver?
“This is going to be my sixth year in Formula 1, which is a fantastic feeling. Even though technically speaking, the core of the team stays the same, the name has changed with Scuderia AlphaTauri stepping in.” Kvyat continues, “But while the team and the car will have a different look, technically, the AT01 is pretty much an evolution of last year’s STR14, which already worked well. Having that as a starting point, our aim is to improve and move forward as much as possible.”
Prime time
With Kvyat clearly eager to take big steps forward in 2020, we wonder whether the 25-year-old has considered his current form, and if he’s now in, or approaching, the prime of his career? He explains:
“I think I’m working hard to come into my prime. Every year I always find something new that I can work on and improve, it’s a constant evolution of myself. I feel like last year was a good year for me in terms of personal discoveries, understanding what works for me and what doesn’t. I think in terms of my performance, I feel like I’m always quite happy with what I manage to squeeze out of the car, but I think it’s very hard to identify your prime. I’ll keep working on my personal improvement as a driver and try to get as many good finishes as I can.”
Also aiming for great things this year is his team-mate, Pierre Gasly. But given the first rule for any driver is to beat your team-mate, just how fierce is the competition between them? Kvyat concludes, “Last year, I had two during the year and both of them are very competitive, very fast guys. Pierre is a very competitive and fast driver, so of course I expect it to be close.”
