Daniil Kvyat: I'd have outscored Daniel Ricciardo in 2016 F1 season

Kvyat was demoted back to Toro Rosso between the Russian and Spanish Grands Prix in favour of eventual Barcelona winner Max Verstappen.

Though Kvyat was 15 points behind Ricciardo at the time of Red Bull's decision, last year he had finished seventh in the championship, one place and three points ahead of the Australian.

Kvyat said that statistic disproved suggestions his 2015 move to Red Bull in place of Sebastian Vettel after one year at Toro Rosso had come too soon for his development.

"The circumstances in which I approached Red Bull Racing [were that] the car was worse than the last year," he said.

"It is easy for first year drivers at the time to look amazing.

"I believe the circumstances back then were not favourable but then they started to get better and better.

"The second half of the season for me at Red Bull Racing, it was good, stable.

"I was matching and beating Daniel, I scored more points than Daniel and it would have been the same this year again.

"All the things about a 'too early' approach are bullshit."

'I DID EVERYTHING RIGHT'

Kvyat scored Red Bull's first podium of the season in China, but it was a rare shining light in a difficult opening four races.

He failed to escape Q1 in Australia, was the first driver eliminated in Q2 in Bahrain and hit Vettel twice in Russia after having enraged his predecessor in a first-corner crash in China.

But Kvyat defended his start to the season.

"I was performing more than enough well," said Kvyat.

"I brought them the first podium of the year.

"Our pace was getting better and better.

"They got what they expected from me. That is all I can really say.

"So I think I did everything right, absolutely everything right."