Max Verstappen is arguably the most dominant driver in F1 today, driving the strongest car. At just 25 years old, he is already a two-time world champion and is considered to be a legend of the sport. 2023 is Verstappen’s ninth year in the sport, which is something difficult to fathom because of his relatively young age.
For Verstappen, however, it all started with him replacing Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull. Kvyat, who had just snubbed Ferrari to stay loyal to Red Bull, found himself being demoted to the Toro Rosso seat just months later. Verstappen meanwhile, took the world of F1 by storm, winning his debut race with Red Bull, and becoming the sport’s youngest-ever race winner in the process.
🚨 | In 2016, Daniil Kvyat was offered a contract by Ferrari to replace Kimi Raikkönen. He chose to stay with Red Bull but was forced to go back to Toro Rosso a few months later.
“It was a very difficult situation for me mentally […]”
[via @tracklimits_pod]#F1 pic.twitter.com/ouWkmT6GCa
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) April 15, 2023
Fast forward to 2023, and Verstappen’s dominance is unmatched. He won the 2021 and 2022 championships and is well on his way to securing a third title win in a row. Kvyat was not happy with how he lost out on his place at Red Bull because of Verstappen but recognizes the talent possessed by the Dutchman.
Max Verstappen is the strongest wheel-to-wheel racer, says Kvyat
In the Track Limits podcast, Kvyat talks about Verstappen replacing him at Red Bull and gives the Dutch driver credit where it is due. According to Kvyat, Verstappen is the strongest wheel-to-wheel racer in Formul1 today.
Kvyat isn’t surprised about Verstappen’s rise to stardom and considers any driver who makes it to Red Bull, worthy of it. Talking about the current season, Kvyat hailed the 25-year-old driver as unbeatable. Talking about the long run, however, the Ufa-born driver thinks that anyone can be defeated with the right machinery.
“I think everyone can be beaten,” Kvyat said. “And at the moment the team is creating the perfect conditions. The team gives him everything he needs. He gets everything he wants.”
Daniil Kvyat laments not being able to fight Verstappen
After losing out on his place at Red Bull, Kvyat’s F1 career never really took off again. He stayed with Toro Rosso until 2017 after which he spent a year at Maranello as Ferrari’s reserve driver. The following year, he returned to Toro Rosso, and oversaw the team’s transition into Scuderia AlphaTauri in 2020.
After his first season with the newly formed AlphaTauri, Kvyat lost his place in F1 altogether. Looking back on the years, however, he laments at not being able to compete with Verstappen on equal machinery.
He talks about how he wanted to race alongside Verstappen during his Toro Rosso days to show everyone he can beat him. Unfortunately for him, he got promoted to Red Bull.
