"When I was consulted, I recommended that they keep him in the car," says Red Bull boss Horner
Thursday 3 November 2016 08:41, UK
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says Daniil Kvyat deserved a new contract at Toro Rosso as it's "too early to throw in the towel" on a driver he axed from the senior team just five months ago.
After weeks of speculation, Kvyat's F1 stay was confirmed over the US GP weekend with the Russian, who will partner Carlos Sainz in 2017, stating Toro Rosso felt like "home".
It is a positive end to a season that threatened to derail his whole career, with Kvyat demoted back down to the junior team just four races into 2016. But Horner, though adamant that Red Bull made the right call in replacing him with Max Verstappen, insists he is glad the youngster earned a reprieve.
"When I was consulted, I recommended that they keep him in the car," he said. "I think it's the right thing to do.
"Daniil had a tough year this year. His confidence took a dent, understandably, but he's worked at rebuilding himself and got it together. At 22 years of age, I think it's too early to throw in the towel on him.
"It's the right decision to give him another chance and I think we'll see him turn it around."
Kvyat's confidence appeared to be shattered at the German GP in July but he has hit form following the summer break, equalling his best ever Toro Rosso finish when finishing ninth in Singapore.
With Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo secure until at least 2018, however, both Kvyat and Sainz's paths appear to be blocked when it comes to earning a Red Bull promotion.
"[Kvyat returning to senior team is] not an option for the next couple of years because our seats are fixed," explained Horner. "But we believed it was the best option to leave him in that car.
"He's still very young, he's a quick driver - he demonstrated that last year - and he deserves a chance to try and regroup and reestablish himself."
Kvyat's new deal means GP2 title challenger Pierre Gasly, the next driver in line for promotion in Red Bull's junior programme, looks set to miss out on an F1 seat for 2017.
"He'll remain part of the team," Horner added. "Obviously his priority is to try and win the GP2 championship. Again, he's very valued. He did the tyre test last week which shows how highly we regard him.
"We're in a fortunate position where we have good talent around us."
