Toro Rosso have confirmed that Daniil Kvyat will replace Red Bull-bound Daniel Ricciardo next season.
The announcement comes as a bit of a surprise, with many expecting Antonio Felix da Costa to take the vacant seat alongside Vergne. The Portuguese driver said on Twitter that the news "hurts but its like this" before adding "I'm happy for Daniil."
Kvyat is another product of the Red Bull Junior Driver Programme and has found success in Formula Renault, recently winning the Alps series and finishing runner-up in the NEC and Eurocup championships.
The Russian driver currently races in the GP3 series for MW Arden and has scored two victories so far this season. He lies second in the standings with two races to go. He has also competed in European Formula 3 this season, but hasn't been eligible for points as he hasn't had a regular drive. However, he has impressed with seven podium finishes and a dominant win at Zandvoort.
Team principal Franz Tost said on the news: "We are pleased to continue our policy of bringing on drivers from the Red Bull Junior Programme. Daniil is a very talented driver, which can be seen from his results in all the junior categories. He was a very successful kart driver and, in 2012, he took the Formula Renault 2.0 Championship title with seven wins."
He added: "This year, he competed in six rounds of the FIA European Formula 3 Championship, taking 1 win, 5 poles and 5 podiums. In addition to this, he is still in a position to win the GP3 Championship, as he is only seven points behind the leader. He impressed our team with a strong performance and very informative technical feedback at the young driver test in Silverstone. This suggests that the basic qualities from which he can progress are all in place. Daniil can be sure that we will use all our experience of training youngsters to give him the best possible start to his Formula 1 career."
As mentioned by Tost, Kvyat completed an afternoon of running for Toro Rosso at the Silverstone Young Driver Test. He lapped the Northamptonshire circuit 22 times and set the 11th fastest time on the final day.
Speaking about his up-coming debut season he said: "This is fantastic news, a dream come true and I want to thank Red Bull and Toro Rosso for giving me this priceless opportunity. Ever since I began karting, I wanted to get to Formula 1 and now that wish will become reality next season.
"I had a brief taste of working with the Toro Rosso team, when I drove for them at the Silverstone test and I enjoyed the experience very much. The fact I am based in Italy and speak Italian will, I am sure, help me to become part of the team very quickly."
He replaces Daniel Ricciardo at the midfield team, whose promotion to Red Bull was announced in the summer. Kvyat will make his F1 race weekend debut in Austin for the FP1 session and will also drive for Toro Rosso during opening practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
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| (c) GP3 Media |
Kvyat is another product of the Red Bull Junior Driver Programme and has found success in Formula Renault, recently winning the Alps series and finishing runner-up in the NEC and Eurocup championships.
The Russian driver currently races in the GP3 series for MW Arden and has scored two victories so far this season. He lies second in the standings with two races to go. He has also competed in European Formula 3 this season, but hasn't been eligible for points as he hasn't had a regular drive. However, he has impressed with seven podium finishes and a dominant win at Zandvoort.
Team principal Franz Tost said on the news: "We are pleased to continue our policy of bringing on drivers from the Red Bull Junior Programme. Daniil is a very talented driver, which can be seen from his results in all the junior categories. He was a very successful kart driver and, in 2012, he took the Formula Renault 2.0 Championship title with seven wins."
He added: "This year, he competed in six rounds of the FIA European Formula 3 Championship, taking 1 win, 5 poles and 5 podiums. In addition to this, he is still in a position to win the GP3 Championship, as he is only seven points behind the leader. He impressed our team with a strong performance and very informative technical feedback at the young driver test in Silverstone. This suggests that the basic qualities from which he can progress are all in place. Daniil can be sure that we will use all our experience of training youngsters to give him the best possible start to his Formula 1 career."
As mentioned by Tost, Kvyat completed an afternoon of running for Toro Rosso at the Silverstone Young Driver Test. He lapped the Northamptonshire circuit 22 times and set the 11th fastest time on the final day.
Speaking about his up-coming debut season he said: "This is fantastic news, a dream come true and I want to thank Red Bull and Toro Rosso for giving me this priceless opportunity. Ever since I began karting, I wanted to get to Formula 1 and now that wish will become reality next season.
"I had a brief taste of working with the Toro Rosso team, when I drove for them at the Silverstone test and I enjoyed the experience very much. The fact I am based in Italy and speak Italian will, I am sure, help me to become part of the team very quickly."
He replaces Daniel Ricciardo at the midfield team, whose promotion to Red Bull was announced in the summer. Kvyat will make his F1 race weekend debut in Austin for the FP1 session and will also drive for Toro Rosso during opening practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
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