Kvyat: Toro Rosso in 'good shape' heading to Melbourne

Daniil Kvyat has said that he is excited for the season to get underway, after he spent last year without a race seat.

Kvyat will race once again for Toro Rosso, the team which he was dropped from late on in the 2017 season after a series of disappointing performances.

However, the Russian has had a strong start to the year at pre-season testing in Barcelona, claiming that his STR14 was in "quite good shape" on track. 

Toro Rosso will use parts from Red Bull this season, with Franz Tost revealing that they will be using the same rear end as their parent team as well as some elements of the suspension.  

“We are on the right path”, Kvyat said. "I think that we have done a very good job during testing and completed a lot of laps.

"We have done our homework at the tests which is the most important thing, every time I was out on track it seemed we were in quite good shape.

"Exactly how good, only time will tell. It was my first time working with Honda and it went smoothly. They are very hard working, but performance wise, we will have to wait for the first couple of races to see where we are.

“As for being back with everyone at Toro Rosso, the attitude of the team is very positive. I see everyone working hard and in a well-focused way, so now we need to keep it that way at the races. We are on the right path.

“I am looking forward to the first race of the season. It will be cool for me to back in Melbourne, especially after a year off."

Kvyat added that he has been waiting for his F1 comeback for quite a while, but must not let it distract him from his primary job. 

"I’m very excited, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while, but we must concentrate on our job rather than think about the excitement of the first race,” Kvyat said.

“Melbourne is a very technical track and has a variety of corner types. It’s also very bumpy which is a good test of your car control.

"It’s tricky and can catch you out with shadows falling on parts of the track, with the sun setting towards the end of the race – you need to be alert at this track, as it requires a high level of concentration.

“When you manage to put a good lap together it always feels very nice. If I had to pick out one section, it would be the high-speed chicane. In these current cars it will be very nice to drive.

"As for the slower corners, you need to be clean and precise and get them right. To sum it up: we prepared well in testing and now let’s go to Melbourne!”