Kvyat gets Alpine F1 reserve role after AlphaTauri exit

Alpine has announced Daniil Kvyat will act as the team’s official reserve driver for the 2021 Formula 1 season.

Kvyat joins Alpine having been dropped by AlphaTauri at the end of 2020 in favour of Formula 2 star Yuki Tsunoda.

With no seat available for 2021, the 26-year-old will now act as a backup for Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon.

Alonso sustained a facial injury following a road accident while cycling in February but the Spaniard is expected to be fit in time for pre-season testing next week.

Speaking of the announcement, Kvyat said: "I am very excited to join the Alpine F1 Team family. The team has enjoyed some great results in the past 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 reserve driver, you need to keep sharp and I look forward to integrated into the team in several different areas."

The Russian began his F1 career in 2014 with Toro Rosso before making the step up to Red Bull for 2015.

Kvyat was then famously dropped by Red Bull after just four rounds in 2016 to make way for Max Verstappen and struggled to reignite his F1 career from that point onwards as he returned to Toro Rosso until the end of 2017.

A brief stint on the sidelines in 2018 as Ferrari’s development driver paved way for a return to the Red Bull family where he drove for Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri in 2019 and 2020.

Kvyat replaces fellow Russian Sergey Sirotkin, who acted as Renault’s reserve driver in 2020.