Daniil Kvyat

Lore & Background

Born in Ufa and raised in Moscow, Kvyat began competitive kart racing aged 10, before moving to Italy in 2007 to pursue a professional career. After winning several international karting titles, Kvyat progressed to junior formulae in 2010. He claimed 23 victories in Formula Renault 2.0, finishing runner-up to Stoffel Vandoorne in the Eurocup and winning the Alps Series, both in 2012 with Koiranen. He then won the GP3 Series in his rookie season with Arden.

A member of the Red Bull Junior Team since 2010, Kvyat signed with Toro Rosso in , making his Formula One debut at the , finishing ninth to become the then-youngest points-scorer in Formula One history, aged 19. He was promoted to parent team Red Bull in , achieving his maiden podium finish at the and outscoring teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Having retained his seat at Red Bull for and achieving another podium in China, Kvyat was replaced by Max Verstappen following a controversial collision with Sebastian Vettel at the .

He remained at Toro Rosso for his campaign before being released at the end of the season, becoming a reserve driver for Ferrari. He returned to Toro Rosso—later renamed to AlphaTauri—in to partner Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly, taking his third career podium at the rain-affected . Kvyat was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda at the conclusion of the season, departing as the most successful Russian driver in Formula One history; he achieved three podiums and one fastest lap across six seasons.

After serving as a reserve driver for Alpine in , Kvyat was set to compete in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship for G-Drive prior to their withdrawal following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kvyat returned to WEC the next season with Prema, competing under an Italian licence. He then signed for Lamborghini in , competing in the premier Hypercar class alongside Mirko Bortolotti and Edoardo Mortara. The team moved to the IMSA SportsCar Championship for 2025.

Reader's Guide

Kvyat's early career included karting in Russia and Italy, winning the Winter Cup in KF3 in 2009. He raced in Formula BMW Asia and Europe in 2010, and the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand in 2011. He resides in Monaco and speaks Russian, Italian, Spanish, English, and some Finnish and Dutch. His racing number is 26. Hobbies include table tennis, football, wakeboarding, skiing, and playing guitar; he likes heavy metal music. He dated Kelly Piquet from January 2017 to December 2019; they have a daughter born in July 2019.

Did You Know?

• Kvyat was one of the few drivers to hold an FIA Super Licence without a Russian driving licence until November 2015.
• He won the 2009 Winter Cup in KF3 after starting from last place due to a clutch failure in qualifying.
• Kvyat's first professional karting team in Italy was Franco Pellegrini's crew.