Daniil Kvyat reveals he declined a seat at Ferrari in 2016
Now, far from Formula 1, the former Red Bull driver feels he was "stabbed in the back" by the Austrian team when he was replaced by Max Verstappen, just after he had refused a contract with Ferrari.
Demoted to Toro Rosso in favor of Max Verstappen after only competing in four races during the 2016 season, Daniil Kvyat experienced a very difficult time dealing with the way things unfolded. The former Red Bull driver, witnessing the Dutchman’s victory in Spain in his first race, also becoming the youngest Grand Prix winner in the process.
« I felt betrayed at that moment,” he commented.
It was a stab in the back, and that’s life, we get backstabbed sometimes, you know, it’s normal. Now, it’s in the past. I have another great career in racing, so a part of me is of course, very grateful towards Red Bull. While the other part is still very unhappy.
A career that could have been very different
In the same time period, Kvyat had just rejected a contract from Scuderia Ferrari, replacing Kimi Räikkönen, going from being a sought-after driver to being sidelined by the end of 2017.
“I was very successful,” highlights the driver who competed in 110 Grand Prix races throughout his career.
I had just stepped onto another podium for the team [at the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix], and at that moment, I also received a proposition to race for Ferrari in order to replace Kimi. That’s what was happening behind the scenes.
« It was therefore a very difficult situation for me mentally to come back after being desired by Ferrari and seeing the contract, and then suddenly returning to Toro Rosso and realizing that things are not going very well all of a sudden. »
Today, Daniil Kvyat is competing in the WEC (World Endurance Championship) in the LMP2 category with Prema, and has just joined Lamborghini’s Hypercar program for 2024.
