Daniil Kvyat

Daniil Vyacheslavovich Kvyat (born 26 April 1994) is a Russian racing driver who competed in Formula One from 2014 to 2020, becoming the most successful Russian driver in Formula One history. Born in Ufa, located 1,000 kilometers east of Moscow, Kvyat began competitive kart racing at age ten before moving to Italy in 2007 to pursue a professional racing career. His rapid progression through the junior formulae marked him as one of Russia's most promising talents. Kvyat claimed 23 victories in Formula Renault 2.

0, finishing runner-up to Stoffel Vandoorne in the Eurocup and winning the Alps Series, both in 2012. He then won the GP3 Series in his rookie season with Arden in 2013, demonstrating exceptional speed and racecraft that earned him promotion to Formula One. As a member of the Red Bull Junior Team since 2010, Kvyat signed with Toro Rosso for 2014, making his Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix. He finished ninth to become the then-youngest points-scorer in Formula One history at age 19, a record that demonstrated his immediate competitiveness at the highest level.

Following a solid rookie season, Kvyat was promoted to the parent Red Bull Racing team for 2015 to partner Daniel Ricciardo, an unusually quick promotion reflecting Red Bull's confidence in his abilities. His best result of 2015 came at Hungary, where he finished second behind Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari, achieving his first podium finish and demonstrating he could compete with the sport's elite. Kvyat retained his Red Bull seat for 2016 and achieved another podium in China, finishing second. However, his season took a dramatic turn following a controversial collision with Sebastian Vettel at the Russian Grand Prix, where Vettel angrily confronted him after the race.

Immediately after the Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull made the shocking decision to demote Kvyat back to Toro Rosso, replacing him with young Dutch sensation Max Verstappen, who won on his Red Bull debut in Spain. This demotion, which came just four races into the season, was widely criticized as harsh and damaging to Kvyat's confidence. Kvyat remained at Toro Rosso for 2017 but struggled with form and confidence following the demotion. On 26 September 2017, Toro Rosso announced they would replace Kvyat with Pierre Gasly for the Malaysian Grand Prix, following a sustained run of underwhelming results.

Kvyat was released at the end of 2017 and became a reserve driver for Ferrari in 2018. In a surprising turn, Kvyat returned to Toro Rosso (later renamed AlphaTauri) in 2019 to partner Alex Albon and later Pierre Gasly. He took his third career podium at the rain-affected 2019 German Grand Prix, a dramatic race where he capitalized on the chaos to finish third. Kvyat and Gasly were retained for the 2020 season, but Kvyat was replaced by Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda at the conclusion of 2020, departing Formula One with three podiums and one fastest lap across six seasons.

After serving as Alpine's reserve driver in 2021, Kvyat was set to compete in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship for G-Drive, but their withdrawal following the Russian invasion of Ukraine ended those plans. He currently competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Lamborghini. Kvyat's Formula One career represents a story of immense early promise, controversial team management decisions, and resilience in returning from setbacks. He remains Russia's most successful Formula One driver and continues to race professionally in sports cars.