Former Red Bull driver could switch to FE after getting test debut

Daniil Kvyat drives during day four of 2016 F1 winter testing at Circuit de Catalunya (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Daniil Kvyat drives during day four of 2016 F1 winter testing at Circuit de Catalunya (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

It has recently been reported by The Race that former Red Bull F1 driver Daniil Kvyat will soon be participating in Formula E. The Russian driver will be doing a test in Berlin later this month before joining the NIO 333 FE team.

Though he is currently racing for Prema in the LMP2 division of the World Endurance Championship, Kvyat will join Formula E soon enough. According to reports, he had his seat-fitting session and even tried NIO 333's simulator. Kvyat is currently preparing for his test run at Tempelhof Airport on April 24.

This will be the first time Daniil Kvyat will be tested for a Formula E team. Right after he left F1, he was close to testing for other Formula E teams like Mahindra and Dragon Racing but was unable to get the opportunity. He might also do another test in a free practice session at the Rome E-Prix in July.

Kvyat was under the Red Bull umbrella when he joined F1. He started with Toro Rosso, Red Bull's B team, to prove his worth and was soon promoted to the main team in 2015. However, he was soon replaced by young Max Verstappen in the middle of the 2016 F1 season because the team was not satisfied with his performance.

After returning to Toro Rosso, Kvyat soon left F1 and went on to race in NASCAR and the World Endurance Championship (WEC).


Toto Wolff revealed how he advised Max Verstappen to join Red Bull

Toto Wolff recently revealed how close Max Verstappen was to joining Mercedes and why he advised him to go to Red Bull. The Austrian explained how Mercedes already had two talented drivers in Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Hence, when Red Bull offered young Verstappen a seat, Wolff himself advised him to join the Austrian-British team. Mercedes' team principal said:

"Yes, but I didn't have a Formula 1 steering wheel to offer him. We had Lewis and Nico and both had long-term contracts, Max was clearly an interesting youngster but at that moment we could have offered him a place in GP2 and then maybe a contract."
"But Helmut was able to offer him a seat in Formula 1 and I finally advised him to go that route too. And that meant seeing him leave the Mercedes orbit."

The idea of Max Verstappen racing for Mercedes in 2023 might sound bizarre, but surprisingly, it was very much a possibility when the Dutchman was a rookie in F1.

After joining Toro Rosso, he quickly moved up the ranks and became one of Red Bull's best drivers. Verstappen has already won two world titles and will most likely win many more.

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