Daniil Kvyat..

FAS33 · 6 Jul 2014, 03:05 (Ref:3430747)

There were so many people that doubted about the decision for this guy to drive in F1 with his lack of his experience, now that he's out qualifying/racing his more experienced team-mate, he's also ice cool, like most Russians. This guy is only 20, and if he gets a decent ride in the future he could be a potential future F1 Champ, Magnussen had a great start to his career, too bad McLaren has lacked a bit of pace, Kvyat's my 2014 rookie of the year for sure.

JacobP · 6 Jul 2014, 06:53 (Ref:3430800)

He had a few retirements this year. I don't remember if this was his mistake or other problems, but getting better consistency in results would be nice. I agree that he seems pretty good, and probably will get better with experience. Remember that he made a jump from WSR 2.0 series straight into F1 seat.

Biscuits In A Red Bull · 6 Jul 2014, 07:12 (Ref:3430802)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JacobP

Remember that he made a jump from WSR 2.0 series straight into F1 seat.

Last time I checked, GP3 wasn't a WSR 2.0 series! But the jump is still a big one.

Kvyat has been incredible - his attitude and ability together make him potential WDC material. He has really been pushing the limit this weekend at Silverstone, and I can see him get in the top 8 given a bit of luck.

**garcon** · 6 Jul 2014, 15:52 (Ref:3431018)

He looks like he deserves his seat. But he needs time to gain experience - the problem with reaching F1 so early is that people are inevitable on a driver's back to be successful straight away. That probably won't happen, but allow him to gain that experience and nurture his talent and he could become a great F1 driver.

stripedcat · 6 Jul 2014, 16:59 (Ref:3431064)

He seems to be a pretty good driver. Yes - he has had some retirements of late - but he does seem to deserve his seat in F1. I don't think that he is just there for the marketing(i.e. the Russian Grand Prix). He probably needs more time in F1 to help him out.

TzeiTzei · 6 Jul 2014, 17:40 (Ref:3431085)

Considering how inexperienced he is, he has been very good this year. Toro Rosso is such an anonymous team that Kvyat doesn't get much attention. I think Red Bull might have found the next guy.

**gomick** · 7 Jul 2014, 08:20 (Ref:3431308)

I agree that he will be Red Bull's next guy - he has probably killed J-E Vergne's chances too... Impressed by him for sure!

321Go · 7 Jul 2014, 09:03 (Ref:3431316)

Vergne is nothing special. Never was, is, or ever will be. Yes, he is a good F1 driver. But he lacks that edge required to be a great F1 driver. Of the current crop of RBR junior drivers, Ricciardo, Kvyat and Sainz Jr all have what it takes to be great F1 drivers.

Rookie of the year definitely goes to Kvyat.

**bella** · 7 Jul 2014, 10:04 (Ref:3431353)

Quote:

Originally Posted by 321Go

Vergne is nothing special. Never was, is, or ever will be. Yes, he is a good F1 driver. But he lacks that edge required to be a great F1 driver. Of the current crop of RBR junior drivers, Ricciardo, Kvyat and Sainz Jr all have what it takes to be great F1 drivers.

i'll bite.

vergne has the edge required to be a great f1 driver. what he doesn't have is something else, something far more basic. he's got the pace, the ability, and the edge (it's had to describe, isn't it?), but there's something that doesn't join together.

and sainz... nah. don't get me wrong he's a brilliant driver, but he's the one that lacks the edge. the edge isn't there at all. i think you've got to watch that at close quarters and understand the series he's racing in to get that.

jury's still out on kvyat for me (albeit very close to a majority verdict), but he's progressing nicely. hopefully he can keep his mind on the job.

JacobP · 7 Jul 2014, 11:43 (Ref:3431385)

It does seem from the interviews and the way he speaks that Kvyat is a kind of a nerd who focuses 100% on racing. He looks and sounds like this undergraduate Russian math super nerd, whom I met at the math club meeting in my university, who by the end of his junior year was taking only PhD level Math courses.

321Go · 8 Jul 2014, 12:17 (Ref:3431768)

Quote:

Originally Posted by bella

and sainz... nah. don't get me wrong he's a brilliant driver, but he's the one that lacks the edge. the edge isn't there at all.

I guess we will find out, in the very near future.

m355y · 9 Jul 2014, 20:56 (Ref:3432281)

I feel a bit sorry for Vergne. I think now Ricciardo is doing so brilliantly at RB the fact that Vergne ran him so close at STR (in races rather than qualifying) suggests that he's not far behind - if anything you feel that if his edges were more rounded he'd be GREAT. He often wasn't slower than Ricciardo, even in qualifying, he just made mistake after mistake - tiny, fractional mistakes under pressure where he'd set two sectors bang on the pace and then lose a second in the third. Reminded me of an early Ralf Schumacher, but worse. In the races, with the pressure spread out over 60 laps, he'd often fly. I remember Malaysia, Spa and Singapore 2012, set like the second fastest race lap in the latter two.

Then in the first half of 2013, after Bahrain, it all clicked and suddenly he was qualifying well too. He's qualified pretty well ever since, but bad luck, accidents, weird slips and suddenly it's in the races where he's f**king up instead of quali.

He's a weird driver who I don't think will ever make it beyond STR, sadly.

Biscuits In A Red Bull · 10 Jul 2014, 09:20 (Ref:3432420)

Vergne's luck has been awful throughout his Formula 1 career though...

...This thread should probably be re-named Jean-Éric Vergne!

**bella** · 10 Jul 2014, 09:41 (Ref:3432427)

that's the odd thing isn't it. you can't look at his retirements and say "pft, no wonder, he rags that thing senseless and abuses all the limiters and does exactly the opposite of what the team tell him to" because... it's simply not true.

i'm not sure there's anyone ready to be parachuted in to replace him in 2015 so he may get lucky. in the meantime he's a decent level against which to rate kvyat.

FAS33 · 10 Jul 2014, 12:50 (Ref:3432475)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biscuits In A Red Bull

Vergne's luck has been awful throughout his Formula 1 career though...

...This thread should probably be re-named Jean-Éric Vergne!

your more then welcome to start one, but Kyvat is much better then Vergne, look at the time sheets.

Tucky · 10 Jul 2014, 22:53 (Ref:3432627)

The problem Kvyat is facing is that Ricciardo looks set to stay at Red Bull for a while and Vettel's contract runs out at the end of 2015. If Vettel decides to stay at RB past 2015, then Kvyat will have nowhere to go and I can't see Toro Rosso hanging on to him for years (certainly not past 2016). As I mentioned in another thread, Toro Rosso are on the grid to provide Red Bull with race experienced drivers, not to win the championship themeselves.

wnut · 11 Jul 2014, 01:24 (Ref:3432647)

Quote:

Originally Posted by bella

i'll bite.

vergne has the edge required to be a great f1 driver. what he doesn't have is something else, something far more basic. he's got the pace, the ability, and the edge (it's had to describe, isn't it?), but there's something that doesn't join together.

and sainz... nah. don't get me wrong he's a brilliant driver, but he's the one that lacks the edge. the edge isn't there at all. i think you've got to watch that at close quarters and understand the series he's racing in to get that.

jury's still out on kvyat for me (albeit very close to a majority verdict), but he's progressing nicely. hopefully he can keep his mind on the job.

Sorry Bella, this bothers me:

"and sainz... nah. don't get me wrong he's a brilliant driver, but he's the one that lacks the edge. the edge isn't there at all. i think you've got to watch that at close quarters and understand the series he's racing in to get that."

I am not sure what you mean here, would you care to explain?
Lacks desperation to win?

m355y · 11 Jul 2014, 06:51 (Ref:3432690)

Sainz is really, really quick and often without really looking it. I think that's something that will parachute him straight into Vergne's seat next season.

Sainz/Kvyat at Toro Rosso would be fascinating IMO.

Biscuits In A Red Bull · 11 Jul 2014, 07:33 (Ref:3432706)

So AFdC is totally out of the question?

I guess Mr Marko will have to get Sainz into F1 somehow so that Alex Lynn can move up a step in the ladder.

**bella** · 11 Jul 2014, 09:51 (Ref:3432743)

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnut

Sorry Bella, this bothers me:

"and sainz... nah. don't get me wrong he's a brilliant driver, but he's the one that lacks the edge. the edge isn't there at all. i think you've got to watch that at close quarters and understand the series he's racing in to get that."

I am not sure what you mean here, would you care to explain?
Lacks desperation to win?

i don't know how to put it without inferring something that's merely hypothetical (in a same way to whether he has that edge thing i spose). but the sainz i've seen this year isn't the sainz who was racing last year. and that's amazing given the cars carry almost identical setups save some very basic tweaks for each driver.

this weekend at the nurburgring will be interesting - it's going to be wet all weekend, so the cars are irrelevant. it's the feel of the bloke pedalling it (and if it's wet/dry, whether they made the right ride height and downforce call for the conditions).

if we define "the edge" as the undefinable, the thing that makes someone world champion, i don't think he has it. he has everything else though. he's more applied and ruthless with his natural talent than say, rowland, which is probably what keeps him in the red bull thing. but...

wnut · 11 Jul 2014, 10:29 (Ref:3432752)

Quote:

Originally Posted by bella

i don't know how to put it without inferring something that's merely hypothetical (in a same way to whether he has that edge thing i spose). but the sainz i've seen this year isn't the sainz who was racing last year. and that's amazing given the cars carry almost identical setups save some very basic tweaks for each driver.

this weekend at the nurburgring will be interesting - it's going to be wet all weekend, so the cars are irrelevant. it's the feel of the bloke pedalling it (and if it's wet/dry, whether they made the right ride height and downforce call for the conditions).

if we define "the edge" as the undefinable, the thing that makes someone world champion, i don't think he has it. he has everything else though. he's more applied and ruthless with his natural talent than say, rowland, which is probably what keeps him in the red bull thing. but...

This is a bit depressing, I was looking forward to him making F1 alongside Magnussen, Kvyat and Bianchi - and of all of them Sainz was my pick

I thought he had x factor! "Edge"

**bella** · 11 Jul 2014, 10:39 (Ref:3432753)

maybe he does and i'm just lost in a haze of apathy, but yeah, amazing driver and spectacular car control but the world champion god factor? not sure.

edit: another way to look at kvyat is in the vandoorne/magnussen context. when it came down to it in the eurocup, vandoorne wasn't as quick (or as privileged with his preparation) as kvyat but stoffel edged him by not over trying, not screwing his tyres up, going for banker results not hero performances etc. equally, magnussen had the better situation last year, but vandoorne had him beaten when the opportunity was there with considerably less car experience. so now kvyat effectively has two more seasons (f3 and gp3 campaigns last year) he seems to have mellowed and improved. would he beat vandoorne in a similar situation to the eurocup if it happened now? i think so... and that's saying something.

JacobP · 11 Jul 2014, 11:27 (Ref:3432768)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tucky

The problem Kvyat is facing is that Ricciardo looks set to stay at Red Bull for a while and Vettel's contract runs out at the end of 2015. If Vettel decides to stay at RB past 2015, then Kvyat will have nowhere to go and I can't see Toro Rosso hanging on to him for years (certainly not past 2016). As I mentioned in another thread, Toro Rosso are on the grid to provide Red Bull with race experienced drivers, not to win the championship themeselves.

This sounds fair enough. Toro Rosso exists to give young and talented drivers a shot at showing off in the Formula 1. If Kvyat is a great talent, two-three of years is enough to develop his F1 reputation so that other teams could take notice. And some of STR's alumni continue doing well racing outside of the world of the formula 1. I think the interest in Formula 1 in Russia will increase after the Russian GP. I wouldn't be surprised if some Russian sponsors could appear who'd want to sponsor Kvyat's career later on. Anyways, right now it's extremely difficult to project what happens past 2016. We don't even know what happens past 2015.

Biscuits In A Red Bull · 11 Jul 2014, 12:54 (Ref:3432798)

Russia's interest in F1 has been growing for a while. Not only with Kvyat and their GP, but with Marussia (helped by their first points) and the Sirotkin saga. They've all helped Russia get a look in to the world of Formula 1.

So my bet is that, in a few years time, Kvyat takes the WDC crown in a Marussia

**bella** · 11 Jul 2014, 13:22 (Ref:3432808)

only flaw in your plan there is that i thought there had been behind the scenes shenanigans and marussia weren't really anything to do with actual marussia any more?