OCTOBER 2, 2016

Kvyat not interested in Gasly rumours

Daniil Kvyat says he is not considering the possibility that Pierre Gasly will end his F1 career at the tender age of 22.

Daniil Kvyat says he is not considering the possibility that Pierre Gasly will end his F1 career at the tender age of 22.

The young Russian admits his demotion from Red Bull this year was hard to cope with, but says he now has his mind fully back on track.

"The people who helped me to overcome this difficult period will never be forgotten," he told Brazil's Globo ahead of the Malaysian grand prix.

Kvyat said one of them was Toro Rosso chief Franz Tost, but answered "no" when asked if another was Dr Helmut Marko.

Indeed, while Tost said at Sepang that Kvyat's future is in his own hands and depends on results, the one who really decides will be Marko.

And that decision could mean Kvyat is ejected from F1 altogether, and replaced at Toro Rosso with Red Bull's latest hotshoe, GP2 frontrunner Pierre Gasly.

When asked about Frenchman Gasly, Kvyat said: "I'm not interested in Gasly at all.

"I do my work here at STR, I have a good relationship with Carlos (Sainz) and I don't think about anything else."

Asked if he will be in F1 in 2017, Kvyat answered: "If I deserve it, yes. In my view yes, but my vision is not enough."

Asked if he is afraid that his F1 career could end at the age of 22, he insisted: "I'm not afraid of anything.

"Life is like that -- anything can happen. F1 is not school, this is a job. As I said, if I deserve to stay then I will stay, and if not, life is long and there are many other things to do," Kvyat added.

(GMM)