Daniil Kvyat labels Silverstone ‘a real classic’, as Red Bull gears up to take part in its second home race in succession during next weekend’s British Grand Prix.
The energy drink giant experienced a difficult domestic event in Austria with Kvyat and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo having to serve grid penalties for using a fifth Renault engine and eventually finishing 12th and 10th.
But the Milton Keynes-based outfit hopes it can fight back and challenge Williams at Silverstone, thanks to a series of aerodynamic updates it has in the pipeline for a venue that Kvyat is very fond of.
“Silverstone is a real classic,” said the Russian. “It’s a cool circuit: high speeds, incredibly challenging layout, I really enjoy it. If you get everything right with the car and your confidence is high then it brings you a lot of joy.
“The high-speed corners are what it’s all about. That’s where you really feel like you are driving a Formula One car, really pushing hard.”
Travelling to Silverstone also bears a special significance for Ricciardo, who made his F1 debut with HRT during the 2011 British Grand Prix. The Australian’s love affair with the Northamptonshire circuit actually stretches further back, with past successes including a win during his 2008 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 campaign.
“I can’t hide it! Silverstone’s awesome,” said Ricciardo. “I love high-speed circuits with high-speed corners – and so the run from Copse through Maggotts, Becketts, Chapel and then around Stowe... maybe the five coolest corners on the calendar and to have them coming at you one after the other. Yeah, I love it.
It’s definitely a circuit where, the faster the car, the better the experience – though that’s usually the case with highspeed tracks. I mean, Silverstone’s great in a FR 2.0. In an F1 car? Epic.”
Both Ricciardo and Kvyat enjoyed a successful British Grand Prix weekend 12 months. The Australian picked up one of the eight podiums he secured in 2014, while the then Toro Rosso rookie finished a strong ninth.
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