Kvyat is a big fan of... Piquet

Daniil Kvyat exited the holidays and entered the New Year armed with a fresh motivation and a new girl friend whose surname will sound very  familiar to race fans.

The young Russian endured a character-building 2016, barely surviving his demotion from Red Bull to Toro Rosso following the rise of 'Maximum Max' Verstappen.

The 22-year-old's struggle appeared to continue in the junior bull squad alongside the talented Carlos Sainz but was still offered another lease on life by Red Bull's Helmut Marko at the end of the summer.

"The holidays were relaxing," he told Russian radio Sport FM. "I was in Italy, with family members, with my girlfriend, regaining my strength and now I have returned home."

When asked about his girlfriend, Kvyat said: "Her name is Kelly, which I think everyone has seen on the internet. She is from the Piquet family, as you know."

Indeed, Kelly Piquet - who works on the digital content side of the Formula E series - is the daughter of F1 legend Nelson Piquet, and the sister of former Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr'.

• Gallery: check out Kelly Piquet, Daniil Kvyat's girlfriend

As for his forthcoming F1 season, Kvyat said he was in full-blown preparation mode.

"I wish to wake up on the first working day refreshed, full of strength and energy, and positive. We are already preparing for the new season from a physical point of view.

"In December, when there was free time, we used it to prepare for intensive training in January and February -- I will have a lot of work.

"Then I will go to the factory as soon as there is more information about the new car -- as soon as the engineers call, I will go!

"For several years Toro Rosso has finished the championship in approximately the same position, so our task is to be higher and score more points.

GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends

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