Kvyat joins Alpine as reserve driver for 2021

Following his exit from the AlphaTauri team, the freshly-rebranded Alpine F1 Team has confirmed Daniil Kvyat as the team’s official reserve driver for the 2021 Formula 1 season.

Ahead of the new 2021 F1 season, the Enstone-based French team has added a new member to its structure by signing Kvyat as its reserve driver. The team is set to start the new season with a fresh identitiy by switching from the Renault brand to the Alpine name.

The French squad will field an updated driver lilne-up with Esteban Ocon staying for his second season with the team and Fernando Alonso set to join the outfit with which he secured his two championship titles in 2005 and 2006.

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi commented on the announcement: “Throughout his career, Daniil has forged a reputation as a very quick driver, but has also shown great resilience."

"We are pleased to have yet another determined and talented driver in our ranks as we make our first F1 campaign as Alpine F1 Team.”

The Russian began his F1 career in 2014 with Toro Rosso before making the step up to Red Bull for 2015. Despite his podium finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix, his first year was marked with a series of problems and the Russian was demoted back to the Toro Rosso team after four rounds in 2016. He spent the rest of the year and the following season with the Faenza-based outfit.

The Ufa-born driver failed to secure a race seat for the 2018 season, and became the third driver for Ferrari. The next season saw him rejoin Toro Rosso as a race driver and raced for the team until the end of the last year.

Kvyat added: “I am very excited to join the Alpine F1 Team family. The team has achieved some great results in the past year and is very technologically advanced. Development has been strong, and I am aiming to contribute to this positive trend.

“I will try to bring my experience on and off track to help develop the A521 and future cars as well. As a reserve driver you need to keep sharp and I look forward to integrating into the team in several different areas.”