Kvyat preparing for Sunday charge after qualifying mishap

Daniil Kvyat was left frustrated and out in the cold after an early exit from Q1 which made him the biggest casualty of the first qualifying segment.

The Red Bull charger posted an initial time which, when the elimination cut came into play, left him 18th, a mishap the Russian put on bad timing and on-track congestion.

"Of course it’s frustrating to be P18 but we will learn from what we have done today," lamented Kvyat.

"My first lap was compromised by traffic so I had to give it up, and on the second push lap the tyres lost a lot of performance so it wasn’t enough.

"It’s a new system and someone had to get it wrong and today it was us but we have plenty of things to analyse from our short life in Q1.

Kvyat is relying on team mate Daniel Ricciardo's own qualifying performance to gauge the Red Bull's potential for tomorrow. But a run up the field will not be without risk and implies a safe passage through the first turn after the start.

"I will do my best to go through the field tomorrow, definitely. It’s not going to be enjoyable to start from P18 but it’s a long race and we have to try and squeeze everything out of it and bring some points home.

With regard to tyre allocation, Kvyat views any strategy as a potential unknown at this stage and one which may induce a few surprises.

"The new tire allocation is interesting. It is always better to have softer tires for qualifying so that we can go a bit faster in the corners and show a bit more the potential and speed of the F1 cars, which is good.

"In the race it will be another question answered because it gives a bit more variation of tactics. Let’s see what everyone will go for and maybe there will be two different sides of this tire selection to start, and probably it can bring something exciting at the end of the race."

As it happened: Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix

F1i's Australian Grand Prix preview

2016 F1 season: Team-by-team preview

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

Recent Posts

Mick Schumacher’s ‘insane’ Indy 500 debut earns rookie honors

For Mick Schumacher, the Indianapolis 500 was never going to be just another race weekend.…

29 minutes ago

Gasly in the points, but still puzzled by Alpine performance loss

Pierre Gasly left Montreal with another solid haul of points for Alpine, but the Frenchman’s…

2 hours ago

Ross Brawn returns to top motorsport in surprise MotoGP move

Ross Brawn is heading back into the heat of elite motorsport competition – only this…

3 hours ago

Colapinto career-best in F1 almost ended in tears in Montreal

Franco Colapinto’s career best result in Formula 1 last weekend in Montreal very nearly ended…

19 hours ago

Perez wants answers after bizarre Cadillac suspension collapse

Sergio Perez did not try to hide his concern after Cadillac’s Canadian Grand Prix descended…

21 hours ago

When Italy mourned the loss of its favorite son

On this day in 1955, the Italian nation and motorsport mourned the loss of the…

22 hours ago