Horner: 100% sure Kvyat is staying with Red Bull

Daniil Kvyat appears to have secured his place at Red Bull Racing for now, as he appears to have emerged from a troubled early season with the energy drinks team.

Earlier, the young Russian seemed to be under pressure from the energy drink stable’s latest F1 hotshoes Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, as he struggled after stepping up from Toro Rosso.

But at Silverstone recently, Kvyat secured the public backing of Red Bull’s tough taskmaster Dr Helmut Marko. And now team boss Christian Horner says he is happy with the 21-year-old.

“Dany did a stunning overtake on Sebastian Vettel at Silverstone and had great pace in the race. It’s a pity he spun or he could have fought for the podium,” he told France’s Auto Hebdo.

Asked if Kvyat is delivering what Red Bull expects, Horner confirmed: “Yes, absolutely.

“In the last three or four races he has started to show his potential. He was fast in Monaco, Montreal, Austria and Silverstone, and as I said in Silverstone he had the chance to fight for the podium,” he added.

Meanwhile, Horner ruled out speculation Red Bull could be about to lose its lead driver, Daniel Ricciardo, to Ferrari.

“The interest of other teams is flattering for Daniel,” he said, “but we both know the conditions of his contract. You can be 100 per cent sure that he is staying with the team,” Horner added.