Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost believes the Daniil Kvyat has all the ingredients to go on to win races and even fight for a World Championship by 2017.
Kvyat endured a season of ups and downs in 2015, but ultimately finished the year in seventh place, three points ahead of his Red Bull teammate.
His second place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix was the highlight of his year, but Tost believes he will be ready to win races soon.
Tost said: “In 2017 he will be ready to win races and he will also be ready to fight for the championship, I am convinced of that.
“He has all the ingredients you need to win a race or a championship.
“If I would be team principal of an absolutely top team, I would take him for 2017 immediately.”
The 21-year-old faced some criticism last year for making some mistakes, particularly at the United States Grand Prix where he dropped the car towards the end of the race.
However, Tost said that drivers need three years to really get to grips with F1: “The first year, they just learn what’s going on, and Kvyat had a very good first year with Toro Rosso.
“The second year most often is the more difficult year, also because of the expectations. I always tell to the drivers ‘you need three years’ but, of course, they don’t believe me.”
He also believes that the Russian driver made the step up to Red Bull too quickly, which is why he received so much criticism for not performing at a top-level at every race.
Kvyat heads into his second season with Red Bull knowing that he will be under pressure to perform with upcoming drivers Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr. impressing during their F1 debuts.
