Red Bull Racing have already announced that Frenchman Pierre Gasly will be promoted from their Italian sister team Toro Rosso to the main outfit in 2019 as Ricciardo’s replacement, pairing with Dutch ace Max Verstappen, but there is still uncertainty as to who will complete Toro Rosso’s driver lineup.
Ahead of this week’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner said ex-F1 driver Daniil Kvyat is “absolutely” being considered for the vacant seat.
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“Well there are always rumors at this time of year. Monza being a hotbed of that. I think the situation with Toro Rosso is pretty open [for next season] so everything is being considered and [Kvyat] is one of several drivers on the list. Absolutely,” Horner told Sky F1.
Moreover, Red Bull reportedly met with Ferrari Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene during last weekend’s Belgian GP to discuss Kvyat’s future.
After an impressive career in junior racing categories, Kvyat was awarded a contract with Toro Rosso in 2014, before being signed by Red Bull, which is also owned by Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz.
In 2016, Kvyat had a poor start to the season, causing a number of crashes and generally being overshadowed by his teammate in terms of outright pace. This prompted his in-season demotion back to Toro Rosso, making way for Max Verstappen to Red Bull.
He was dropped altogether at the end of the 2017 season and failed to secure a contract with another team, ultimately joining Ferrari as a development driver in 2018.
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