Daniil Kvyat is pleased with the steps forward he has noticed during Friday free practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix, although the Red Bull driver suffered a small engine issue at the end of FP2.
The Russian had a steady day in the Renault-powered RB11 as he set the fourth fastest time in the second session, a little over half a second adrift of pacesetter Lewis Hamilton. However, Kvyat’s efforts in FP2 were curtailed slightly early after the 20-year-old hit engine trouble towards the end of his running.
Despite only racking up 35 laps across both free practice sessions, the Toro Rosso graduate remains positive about how things went around the Sepang International Circuit.
“Generally it was a good day with few little issues like at the end a little engine issue and so on,” said Kvyat. “But I don’t think there is anything big at the moment, so it all looks good for us here.
“I think we did a good quality Friday. We are still looking for steps forward overnight and we are looking for improvement because there’s always room for improvement. It’s looking good for us here. We must keep on working because there’s potential.
"Lap was good from my side. It’s a shame about not making enough laps in the end. But still, we can always analyse everything and I think it’s all good."
On the back of a disappointing Melbourne weekend where he could not start the race, Kvyat feels confident Red Bull and power unit partner Renault are making strides on the right track.
“I think we have a strong team. Renault is also making good steps. We reacted, not overreacted, we reacted and we’re in the right direction at the moment. There’s plenty of work ahead, many areas, but the right steps are being made and this is encouraging.
“We have been developing well through today and the things are looking at the moment better compared to Melbourne. We just need to keep on working because no one is sleeping.”
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