Kvyat Reveals Unconfident Leclerc Key To Imola Result, Explains Why Daniel Ricciardo Couldn’t Be Passed

The only thing missing from an otherwise spectacular performance, courtesy of Daniil Kvyat, was a podium finish. He looked like a man on a mission, speeding his way past the midfield opponents and battling with Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo. To ultimately finish P4 in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Kvyat has now revealed that he could overtake Ferrari’s Leclerc in those final few laps of the race, with some smart thinking. However, he fell short of passing Ricciardo, who eventually claimed third.

Kvyat is quoted as saying, “I saw that he (Leclerc) braked earlier than me. And I thought if I leave him enough space on the inside, I’ll make it.”

“That’s exactly what happened. And also, you can trust certain drivers a bit with these kind of things.”

Daniil Kvyat however could not pass Daniel Ricciardo to achieve P3

The AlphaTauri man was in his best element throughout the race. But, he also feels that had he gotten a few more laps, he would have possibly caught up with Ricciardo, in the fight for the final podium finish.

“So when I got to Daniel, I had to start a bit more charging, and there were a couple of laps where I had to wait.”

“Then I started putting pressure on him again, but he managed to warm up his tyres while I was battling with other guys. Maybe with more laps, it could have been possible.” stated Kvyat in his brief analysis.

Kvyat’s time at AlphaTauri might be coming to an end

On a day where Pierre Gasly was unable to pick up any points following a retirement, the onus was on Kvyat to make sure AlphaTauri enjoyed a good home race. And so he did, with a strong drive making the Imola circuit his own, as he traversed the tricky corners.

However, despite the showing, it may just be a case of efforts coming in a little late. The Red Bull group are lining up young Yuki Tsunoda as a possible replacement for the Russian.

But, if this was to be his last noteworthy achievement with the team, he would take it right now. And Kvyat should indeed be proud of the race he drove. Which will only serve him in good stead, for whatever the future holds for him.