Daniil Kvyat says he felt “betrayed” by Red Bull when he was dropped by the team shortly after the start of the 2016 season.
Kvyat joined the Milton Keynes-based squad in 2015 after his rookie F1 campaign the year before with Toro Rosso.
However, ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix in 2016, the Russian was demoted back to the sister team while Max Verstappen was placed into the front-running squad alongside Daniel Ricciardo.
Verstappen won on his debut for the team and has since gone on to win two world titles with Red Bull, while Kvyat remained in F1 for another handful of years with Toro Rosso before departing the sport at the end of 2020.
In 2021, he acted as an Alpine reserve driver and a new career path has recently opened up for him as he was announced as a factory Lamborghini driver in the World Endurance Championship.
Reflecting on his time in F1 with the Track Limits podcast, Kvyat suggested that he felt he was mishandled by Red Bull.
“I felt really betrayed at that moment,” he said. “It was a stab in the back and that’s life, you get stabbed in the back sometimes you know, it’s normal.
“Now it’s the past. I have another good career in racing so part of me of course is very thankful to Red Bull. The other part of me is still very unhappy with it.”
Kvyat has also claimed that he rejected a Ferrari F1 drive in 2016 to replace Kimi Raikkonen, who would remain at the team until the end of 2018 before departing to join Alfa Romeo.
As well as his future being secured in endurance racing, the three-time podium finisher could be eyeing a full-time return to single-seaters.
It has been reported that Kvyat will take part in the Formula E rookie test later this month in Berlin.
