Kvyat not worried Verstappen could derail F1 career

Apr.2 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat says he is not worried he might be the victim of the next step in Max Verstappen's meteoric F1 career.

Mercedes and Ferrari have both now admitted interest in the 18-year-old teen, putting pressure on Red Bull to promote Verstappen from Toro Rosso or risk allowing an exit clause in his long-term deal to be triggered.

We reported on Friday that Ilta Sanomat, a Finnish newspaper, had claimed Red Bull might relegate Russian Kvyat from the senior team back to Toro Rosso for 2017, freeing up a seat for Verstappen alongside Daniel Ricciardo.

So amid those reports, Kvyat was asked in Bahrain by the official F1 website if he is worried about the next step in his career.

"To be honest I don't see that there is anything to worry about," said the 21-year-old, who played down Verstappen's performance in Melbourne including his feat of qualifying 'best of the rest' behind Mercedes and Ferrari.

"I think there is a lot more to consider in terms of who to put into a cockpit than just the last result," said Kvyat. "And Max was also not shining in Melbourne.

"So the best advice I give myself is 'Boy, focus on your own business!' If I do a good job then everything will fall into place," he added.