Kvyat eager to keep momentum going in Bahrain

Daniil Kvyat says he is keen to keep his momentum going after a strong 10th place finish in the Australian Grand Prix on his return to Formula 1.

The Toro Rosso man was able to hold off Red Bull's Pierre Gasly for a large part of the race to take the final points-paying position, something that no doubt has boosted his confidence.

Ahead of Bahrain, Kvyat explained that the team was functioning at a high level already, something that will play an important role this season as the midfield battle looks to be tighter than ever.

“The way things went in Australia meant it was a very good way to start the season,” he said.

"It was a real confidence boost for the team because the indications are that we are in the mix with everyone. It puts us all in a positive frame of mind as we go to the next race in Bahrain. It’s clear we can fight with others, with the teams around us in the midfield, which is very promising.

“In Australia, I was impressed with the way the team worked operationally with everyone, as the mechanics and engineers all played their part. It’s good to see this spirit in the team and we need to continue with this approach in the coming races."

Kvyat did admit that the Sakhir circuit had not been kind to him in the past but the Russian was hopeful of changing his fortunes in 2019.

“I’ve not had any particularly great results in Bahrain in the past, but the track is interesting and nice to drive.

"It’s a very different circuit to Albert Park, it’s a real race track and therefore it will be a very good test for us to see how the car works there.

“Bahrain is more similar to many other tracks on the calendar than Albert Park, so we should get a slightly clearer idea of where we are and how good our car is.

“The temperatures will be higher than in Melbourne, so again it will be more representative of the tyre conditions we will encounter during the major part of the season.”