Daniil Kvyat says his strategy could have been better in the Russian Grand Prix and believes he should have been the first Red Bull to pit in the race.
Starting from 11th on the grid - one place behind Daniel Ricciardo - Kvyat got the jump on his team-mate at the start and was the lead Red Bull on track when the safety car was deployed due to a crash for Romain Grosjean. Red Bull opted to pit Ricciardo and leave Kvyat out on track in sixth position, but the early stop played in to Ricciardo’s hands as he ran as high as fourth late on before retiring.
While Kvyat inherited fifth place by the end of the race as a result of late retirements and Kimi Raikkonen’s post-race penalty, he feels he should have received priority over Ricciardo as the lead car on track.
“I think strategy could have been slightly better but nevertheless it’s a learning process for everyone, you can never stop learning,” Kvyat said. “I think it was clear, everything, why I was on the other side of the strategy but nevertheless I think given strategy and everything we squeezed everything out of it and eight points [before Raikkonen’s penalty] at the end of such a complicated race I think is a very good achievement.
“We have to be slightly disappointed. For future tracks … I’m looking forward to Austin because I think it should suit us a little bit better and I’m looking forward to those high-speed corners!”
Speaking before a full debrief in to the race strategy, Kvyat said he expected some arguments over what was the right decision during the race.
“I think looking back now with a hot head maybe I would have preferred to be the first car to pit but let’s see what will come out of the analysis so maybe I’m completely wrong with my feelings. Let’s see, let’s see what the team will have to say, what I will have to say, all the arguments and then we put it all together and we decide. It will just be, let’s say, our learning process together.”
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AS IT HAPPENED: Russian Grand Prix
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