Kvyat: "Difficult" AlphaTauri F1 future won't stop me pushing
Daniil Kvyat thinks it's important he keeps pushing to the end with AlphaTauri, even though he concedes he is facing a "difficult" situation to stay at the Formula 1 team


Speculation is pointing towards AlphaTauri promoting Honda protege Yuki Tsunoda to an F1 seat next year if he secures enough superlicence points in the F2 finale in Bahrain next month.
That decision could leave Kvyat without a drive in F1, with limited opportunities remaining for the Russian and other experienced drivers like Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg already on the hunt for seats.
But after his stirring drive to fourth place at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which included a brilliant overtaking move on Charles Leclerc around the outside of Piratella, Kvyat says that only he can fight to secure a seat in the future.
"Look, I have no illusions that things are difficult," said Kvyat about the 2021 situation at AlphaTauri. "In fact, that the chances are slim, sure.
"Obviously Red Bull has their young driver programme which has to work and has to be promoted. It's always been like that and I don't see any reason why it should change for me. But I'm given this opportunity, and there are races to go still.
"As you saw at the last race, it was an amazing race. And with these kind of things, it will always go in your pocket something positive.
"It's important to keep pushing until the very last moment. It will always be remembered, it will always be [as] something plus. And, you never know what can happen also inside Red Bull. That's the only thing I focus on."

Kvyat says that he put worries about his future to one side, as he knows there is nothing to gain in thinking too much about next year.
"The rest will not help me," he said. "I know there is a high chance I might not be there next year.
"At Imola I didn't think about that and I managed to deliver a good result for the team. I'm only thinking about how to deliver the best for myself and for the team. And also, especially because we still have quite a big chance in the constructors' championship to move one position ahead."
Kvyat says that the example of Hulkenberg, who has resurrected his F1 career chances as a super sub this year, is proof of why drivers always need to give it their all.
"It's a good example," he said. "Especially in these times, in this era of pandemic, you never know what can happen.
"It's always important to be ready. And you want the teams to have a good memory about you. You need to keep pushing always.
"I do it regardless, but more so this year. Even with all these rumours surrounding my future, I still come every time to the race weekend and the team knows I will deliver.
"Maybe somebody would be very affected by this, but I'm not. I improved a lot on this, compared to the past.
"While in the past maybe these things would affect me a lot. Now, honestly, I am unaffected. So every race weekend I deliver the best job I can."

What's new for Formula 1 in 2021?
Wolff took Prost's advice to avoid Senna-like F1 rivalry issues at Mercedes

Latest news
Why physical fitness is an understimated challenge for IndyCar rookies
The lack of in-car physical fitness is an “underestimated” hurdle for an IndyCar Series rookie, according to Dale Coyne Racing's Indy Lights graduate Sting Ray Robb.
Bubba Wallace ‘got dumped’ by Austin Dillon in NASCAR Clash
Bubba Wallace says Austin Dillon “dumped” him out of second place in NASCAR’s chaotic Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday night.
Albon warns Williams has "long road ahead" to recover in F1
Alex Albon admits that his Williams Formula 1 team has a “long road ahead” as it tries to progress up the field this year.
Toyota won’t put more pressure on Katsuta at WRC Rally Sweden
Toyota World Rally Championship boss Jari-Matti Latvala says the team won’t "put more pressure" on Takamoto Katsuta to deliver in his first drive for the factory team this weekend.
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.