Daniil Kvyat Bio
Daniil Vyacheslavovich Kvyat (born 26 April 1994) is a Russian racing driver who competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse. He is a former Formula One driver, having participated from 2014 to 2020. Born in Ufa and raised in Moscow, Kvyat became one of the most successful Russian drivers in Formula One history, recording three podium finishes and one fastest lap across six seasons. After his time in F1, he transitioned to endurance and prototype racing, showing versatility across multiple motorsport formats.
Early Life and Background
Daniil Kvyat was born in Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia, on 26 April 1994 to Vyacheslav and Zulfiya Kvyat. The family later moved to Moscow in 2000, and it was there that Kvyat first raced go-karts. He began competitive kart racing at the age of 10, quickly demonstrating natural talent behind the wheel.
By January 2005, Kvyat had already won his first professional karting race in Sochi. He competed in local events across Russia and Italy before his family relocated to Italy during the winter of 2007 to support his growing career. Kvyat enrolled in an Italian school while continuing to race, and within a few years he caught the attention of major sponsors and junior teams across Europe.
Path to NASCAR
While Kvyat is best known for his Formula One career, he has also explored stock car racing. In December 2017, he tested a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series racecar at a young driver evaluation. Throughout 2021 and 2022, he attended NASCAR Cup Series events at venues such as Martinsville Speedway and Road America, spending time in team garages to learn the discipline.
In 2022, Kvyat made three NASCAR Cup Series starts for Team Hezeberg, driving car number 26, the same number he carried in Formula One. His debut came at the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, where he finished 36th after retiring with suspension issues. The NASCAR experience gave Kvyat exposure to a different style of oval and road-course racing.
Daniil Kvyat Career
Early Career (2010–2013)
Kvyat joined the Red Bull Junior Team in 2010 and quickly moved through the European single-seater ladder. He competed in Formula BMW Europe and Asia with Eurointernational, claiming his first win in the Asian Championship before rounding out his rookie European season with consistent points finishes and a podium at Monza.
In 2011, Kvyat raced in the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand, taking a win and several podiums. He then joined Koiranen Bros. Motorsport for full seasons in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup and the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. The following year, he captured the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps title and finished runner-up in the Eurocup. In 2013, Kvyat won the GP3 Series championship in his rookie season with MW Arden, a result that earned him a Formula One contract with Helmut Marko’s Red Bull programme.
Formula One Breakthrough (2014–2020)
Kvyat made his Formula One debut with Scuderia Toro Rosso at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, finishing ninth to become the then-youngest points-scorer in the championship’s history at the age of 19. He added further points finishes in Malaysia, China, Britain, and Belgium, ending his rookie year fifteenth overall. His performances earned him both the FIA Rookie of the Year and the Autosport Rookie of the Year awards.
Promoted to Red Bull Racing for 2015, Kvyat secured his first Formula One podium with second place at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the best result for a Russian driver in the sport at that time. He finished the season seventh in the Drivers’ Championship with 95 points, three more than teammate Daniel Ricciardo. After a podium in China early in 2016, Kvyat was demoted back to Toro Rosso following a controversial first-lap collision with Sebastian Vettel at the Russian Grand Prix. He was later released from the Red Bull programme at the end of 2017 and spent 2018 as a Ferrari development driver, including simulator work at Maranello and a Pirelli wet-weather test at Fiorano.
Kvyat returned to racing with Toro Rosso in 2019, claiming a memorable podium at the rain-affected German Grand Prix, his third in Formula One. He remained with the team, rebranded as AlphaTauri, for 2020 and recorded a strong fourth place at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix before being replaced by Yuki Tsunoda at the end of the season. Across his F1 career, Kvyat made 110 starts, scored 202 points, and finished on the podium three times.
Lamborghini Era (2024–Present)
After a season as Alpine’s reserve driver in 2021 and the cancellation of a planned 2022 World Endurance Championship campaign with G-Drive following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kvyat returned to endurance racing with Prema Racing in 2023. He raced the No. 63 Oreca 07 in the LMP2 class, scoring a podium on debut at the 1000 Miles of Sebring and competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In 2024, Kvyat joined Lamborghini in the premier Hypercar class, driving the SC63 alongside Mirko Bortolotti and Edoardo Mortara. The trio scored their first points of the year at Le Mans with a tenth-place overall finish. For 2025, Lamborghini transitioned into the IMSA SportsCar Championship, where Kvyat has contested endurance rounds in the SC63, recording a best result of fourth at Petit Le Mans alongside Mortara and Romain Grosjean.
Driving Style and Strengths
Kvyat is recognized for his smooth and calculated race craft, particularly in mixed-weather and changing-condition events where strategy plays a major role. His podium at the 2019 German Grand Prix, earned by pitting early for dry-weather tires on a drying track, showcased his ability to capitalize on bold calls. He pairs well with engineers and tends to perform strongly in races that reward tire management and consistency.
Notable Races and Milestones
Highlights of Kvyat’s career include his record-breaking Formula One debut in Australia, his breakthrough podium in Hungary, the strategic wet-to-dry masterclass in Germany, and his endurance racing podium at Sebring. His Le Mans appearances with Prema and Lamborghini, along with his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2022, underline a career defined by adaptability and the willingness to embrace new racing formats.
Daniil Kvyat Career Wins
Kvyat has accumulated victories and titles across karting, junior single-seaters, prototype racing, and the broader motorsport ladder. His earliest major wins came in Italian and European karting, followed by championship success in Formula Renault and GP3, and podiums in Formula One and the World Endurance Championship.
Formula One Highlights
Kvyat scored three Formula One podiums: second place at the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix, third place at the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix, and third place at the 2019 German Grand Prix. He ended his F1 career with 202 points, one fastest lap, and recognition as the most successful Russian driver in the championship’s history at the time of his departure.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside Formula One, Kvyat won the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps title in 2012 and the GP3 Series championship in 2013. In the FIA World Endurance Championship, he took a podium on his debut with Prema in 2023. He has also competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 2023 and 2024, and made his IMSA SportsCar Championship debut in 2025 with a fourth-place finish at Petit Le Mans.
Daniil Kvyat Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Kvyat was born to Vyacheslav and Zulfiya Kvyat, and his parents made significant sacrifices to support his racing career, relocating from Moscow to Italy in 2007. That family commitment allowed the young driver to focus on karting and junior formulae in one of the most competitive environments in the world.
Personal Life
Kvyat resides in Monaco and is fluent in Russian, Italian, Spanish, and English. From January 2017 to December 2019, he was in a relationship with Kelly Piquet, daughter of three-time Formula One World Champion Nelson Piquet. The couple had a daughter born in 2019.
2025 Season Performance
In 2025, Kvyat is competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse, driving the No. 63 Lamborghini SC63 in the GTP class. Lamborghini entered the endurance rounds of the championship, marking a significant new chapter for the Italian manufacturer in North American sports car racing.
Kvyat’s campaign has been highlighted by a fourth-place finish at Petit Le Mans, shared with Edoardo Mortara and Romain Grosjean. The result represented the team’s strongest outing of the year and demonstrated competitive pace on a high-profile endurance stage. As of mid-season, the program continues to build experience in the GTP category.
Following the 2025 IMSA season, Lamborghini has paused its top-class GTP commitments, leaving the next phase of Kvyat’s sports car career an open question. With versatility across Formula One, endurance racing, prototype competition, and stock car racing, Kvyat remains a respected and adaptable figure in international motorsport.
