Kvyat qualifies for F1 super licence

Nov.11 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat has qualified for his F1 super licence.

Energy drink company Red Bull has named the Russian teenager as Daniel Ricciardo's successor at Toro Rosso for 2014.

But the marque wants to give Kvyat an early start by sending him out for Friday morning practice sessions this weekend in Austin, and the following week in Brazil.

Until now, the only spanner in the works has been the new GP3 champion's lack of a F1 super licence, the mandatory FIA credential needed by drivers in order to participate in official race weekend sessions.

Red Bull therefore arranged a test in a two-year-old Toro Rosso for Kvyat last week at the Misano circuit in Italy, so that he could collect the necessary 300 kilometres of running in front of an FIA observer.

Before the test, Marko told Russia's f1news.ru: "It's all organised. Everything will be fine."

Indeed, the Red Bull-connected Speed Week magazine reports that Kvyat did the 300km last Friday at a representative race pace.

"We're going to America!" he told his 8,700 Twitter followers the next day.

"I will spend the weekend with the team and participate in the first free practice," Kvyat added in Russian.