Red Bull boss Christian Horner has expressed his delight over the level of performance shown by Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat who has had an impressive rookie year in 2014.
The young Russian had been racing in the GP3 series in 2013 and many questioned the decision to promote Kvyat to Formula One instead of Antonio Felix da Costa.
Kvyat has made the final part of qualifying on five occasions and finished in the top ten on four occasions.
In an interview with Autosport, Horner said “He has been sensational and has been the rookie of the season so far, his raw pace and speed, considering the jump he has made from GP3, is hugely impressive.
“He had little pre-season testing and Jean-Eric [Vergne] is a very quick driver, so the benchmark he’s up against is good as well.
“And we have got some great talent coming on beneath that with Carlos Sainz Jr, Pierre Gasly and Alex Lynn, so there is some very positive talent on the junior programme.”
Horner believes the success of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel shows the effectiveness of their driver program.
“Both of our race drivers have come through the junior team and they are both there on merit,” said Horner.
“The junior programme can be perceived as tough at times, but F1 is not a soft business and you get found out in the end.
“The great thing about the Red Bull programme is that if the guys are seriously talented, they find their way and they are supported.”
