'We still have something in our pocket', says Kvyat

40

Local hero Daniil Kvyat deemed himself happy with his eight place position in qualifying today, believing the result achieved by his side of the Red Bull garage was the best he could manage.

The Russian driver breezed through the first two segments of qualifying without any major worries, but in Q3 a lack of time deprived him of a warm-up lap to put adequate heat in his tyres.

"It was the best possible from our side and it was a very good qualifying," Kvyat explained.

"Ricciardo had his warm-up lap and I didn’t. I didn’t have time to do my lap in Q3 on the last run so I had to start the lap on cold tyres which wasn’t ideal but in the end we just ran out of time.

"But it’s okay, I still think it was a good lap, and it is good to know that we still have something in our pocket and still did a good job with the tools that we had in our hands.

"It was very hard to work on the tyres, especially on our car, but otherwise I was quite happy. Good laps, good performances, good positions, so I’m happy with what I did and what we did.

The Red Bull driver was singled out by junior bull Carlos Sainz, theToro Rosso driver claiming that Kvyat had hindered his run in Q2, which in turn prevented the Spaniard from accessing Q3.

"If I did, I am very sorry but I didn’t see him at any point in my mirrors during the qualifying session so I really don’t know.

"I usually pay a lot of attention to other drivers and really dislike it when drivers block other drivers so I think we should respect each other, but I haven’t seen him in my mirrors at all so I don’t know what he is talking about."

On the eve of his third Russian GP, Daniil Kvyat appreciates the local support in his home race although he admits his job requires that he isolate himself from the fervor.

"When I am racing, I am not distracted by everything around me anywhere and that’s why I love racing so much. To be able to do my job to maximum efficiency, it’s just me, myself and I."

REPORT: Rosberg takes pole as ERS problem hits Hamilton

AS IT HAPPENED: Russian Grand Prix - Qualifying

Exclusive Valtteri Bottas Q&A

Romain Grosjean column: Haas brought back down to earth

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.