Kvyat: 2019 one of my best seasons in F1

Daniil Kvyat feels “very satisfied” with his performance across the 2019 Formula 1 season and believes he has turned in one of the strongest years of his career.

The Russian rejoined Toro Rosso for 2019 and scored 37 points across the campaign to end the year 13th in the championship. Kvyat took a remarkable third place finish in Germany to seal Toro Rosso’s first podium appearance in over 10 years.

Kvyat has only once managed a higher points total and overall finish in the championship - in 2015 during his maiden campaign with Red Bull.

“I feel very satisfied, to be honest,” Kvyat said.

“I would put it in line with one of my best years in F1 so I’m pretty happy.

“Some races go your way, some races don’t go your way but this is how our midfield works, it’s very tight and some small mistake can cost you some opportunities like myself in Brazil for example.

“I definitely lost a very big opportunity there which luckily Pierre [Gasly] for the team, managed to take. But these are the parts of our sport that we all know. I think this year I have been a lot more better driver than my last years in F1.”

Kvyat helped Toro Rosso secure its strongest-ever season in F1, having scored its highest total of points (85) and two podium finishes en route to claiming sixth spot in the constructors’ championship.

“Certainly it was a very strong year for Toro Rosso, perhaps the best in the history you may say,” Kvyay added.

“It’s obviously great to be able to fight for a very high position in the Constructors’ championship, the highest it has been in recent years. So, it’s great to be a part of it and the atmosphere in the team this year.

“I think the team has always performed very well; since the beginning of the year it was quite consistently in the points and always taking the opportunities quite well; with strategy, taking the points which weren’t even there, to still get them was very crucial sometimes and now at the end of the year we find ourselves in a good strong position, so certainly it was also a very good boost for next year.”