Kvyat not surprised he got Vettel's Red Bull F1 seat over Vergne
Sebastian Vettel's replacement, Daniil Kvyat, says he was not surprised that Toro Rosso team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne was overlooked again for a promotion to the Red Bull Formula 1 team
Kvyat was announced as a Red Bull driver for 2015 on Saturday morning, when the team revealed that Vettel will leave at the end of this season.
While the Russian was shocked to get the news just before final practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, he said he was not taken aback by the fact that Vergne missed out for the second year running - after Daniel Ricciardo was chosen to partner Vettel for 2014.
When asked by AUTOSPORT if it was a surprise that Vergne was not chosen by Red Bull, Kvyat said: "No, I'm not surprised. It's clear that last year they picked Daniel.
"Jean-Eric is a great driver, he is very quick, experienced as well.
"But I have been racing for a long time even if I have not been in F1 for very long.
"There are some things you can learn only by doing it, and I believe that is what is going to happen to me."
Kvyat also played down suggestions that Vergne would have been the obvious choice because he has nearly three years of F1 racing under his belt.
"Already this year we can see that experience itself is not playing a big role for Jean-Eric," he added.
"But he has been a fantastic benchmark for me. We have been pushing each other, and he has helped me develop.
"Since the beginning I had a really high benchmark, because we know that 'JEV' and Daniel were really close last year."
When asked if he felt ready to step up to a top team, Kvyat said: "Yes. I'm confident I am.
"Obviously Red Bull rely on me. They show certain trust by making this decision, which I really appreciate.
"This kind of decision is taken because they know what kind of driver I am, and I will do my best to prove them right."
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