Daniil Kvyat will return to Formula 1 in 2019, Toro Rosso has confirmed, marking his third stint with the team.
Long-term Red Bull junior Kvyat stepped up to Formula 1 with Toro Rosso in 2014 as the reigning GP3 champion and a year later was recruited by the senior team to replace Ferrari-bound Sebastian Vettel.
Red Bull endured a win-less 2015 and Kvyat took just a solitary podium finish, though added another rostrum result early in 2016 before he was replaced at the team by Max Verstappen.
Kvyat was placed back at Toro Rosso but struggled and scored just eight points across the next 31 Grands Prix, amid a sequence of mistakes and setbacks, and was ultimately dropped by the company.
Kvyat took up a development role at Ferrari for 2018 that involved simulator work, but no on-track running, and he made an appearance at a handful of Grands Prix.
Pierre Gasly’s promotion to Red Bull in place of Renault-bound Daniel Ricciardo opened a vacancy at Toro Rosso, and the organisation lacked adequately-qualified juniors.
Kvyat emerged as a surprise contender for a 2019 Toro Rosso seat and on Saturday the team confirmed that the Russian will return for a third stint.
“First of all, I would like to thank Red Bull and Toro Rosso for giving me this opportunity to race in Formula 1 again and I am particularly pleased to be returning to a team I know very well,” he said.
“Toro Rosso has always made me feel at home and I’m sure it will still be the same next season.
“I would also like to thank Ferrari for trusting my driving skills which allowed me to stay connected to F1 as their development driver.
“Even if my duties were primarily simulator based, I’ve learnt a lot, and I now feel stronger and better prepared than when I left Toro Rosso.
“I never gave up hope of racing again, I am still young and I have kept in good shape to always be prepared in case another opportunity presented itself.
“I will give my best to deliver what the team expects from me and I can’t wait for everything to start again.”
Toro Rosso has yet to name a team-mate for Kvyat.
