Daniil Kvyat is confident he would have no problem returning to Formula 1 if the opportunity came along, despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Under FIA rules, Russian drivers are allowed to take part in motorsport, provided they race under a neutral flag and avoid showing any public support for the invasion. It was a less harsh approach in comparison to other sporting federations, some of which banned athletes from Russia altogether.
Despite the FIA's decision, Haas took the decision to part company with driver Nikita Mazepin anyway, and terminated their deal with main sponsor Uralkali – the firm owned by his dad Dmitry. In contrast, Robert Shwartzman - who was raised in Saint Petersburg - has been retained as a test driver for Ferrari, and will take part in FP1 sessions later this year under the Israeli flag, where he was born.
Perhaps that example is why Kvyat does not foresee any problems if he were to have the chance to get back into F1. He spent several years with Red Bull and sister team Toro Rosso, but has not held a race seat since 2020 and made his NASCAR debut earlier this summer.
The 28-year-old was spotted in the paddock at Monza last weekend, visiting former colleagues at Alpine – he was a reserve for the team last season. He is not being considered for a seat for next season by them, despite a meeting with team boss Otmar Szafnauer, but hopes to come back in the future.
"I think you never say never," Kvyat told Autosport . "But at the moment of course the timing, let's say, is not ideal for that, perhaps. Hopefully one day we can talk about it again. Right now I am racing in NASCAR, I'm welcome there. Didn't have any issues, really. We plan to do some more races this year.
"I'm happy. I always wanted to try myself in NASCAR, as you know, I've been mentioning this, in a way a little dream came true. Of course, to get really on top there, it might take time, but I'm patient, and careers in NASCAR can be really long, if you build it right. I'm curious to see how far I could go there.
"And of course, F1 as always has a special place in my heart. And who knows, hopefully, one day, we can talk about it again, I'm still young. As some people show you can come back after a little break and still do well. I am open.
"And I think also here in Europe, in the USA I have green lights from most categories. So there was some period where everything was very tense, of course. Now it's less tense. But it unfortunately threw back a bit the progress of negotiations. So now again I'm open to start negotiations and see what can come out of it for 2023. So luckily, there are some options. And yeah, I am open, there are no obstacles in that respect, if you ask me."
