A few weeks ago it was announced that Russian Daniil Kvyat will drive for Toro Rosso in the 2014 Formula One World Championship. Before that can happen, he needs an FIA Super Licence – the coveted licence that allows racing drivers to participate in Formula One race weekends.
Kvyat needs his Super Licence with some urgency. Although he’s not set to actually race in F1 until the Australian Grand Prix on 16 March 2014, Kvyat’s Toro Rosso team wants to put him in one of their cars for the first practice session of each of the last two races in 2013. The reason for that is fairly obvious: every lap he does in an F1 car is a step forward in his development as an F1 driver, so the sooner they can start, the better.
Although he’s certainly no slouch as a racing driver – Kvyat secured the 2013 GP3 title last weekend in Abu Dhabi in his first season in the series – he has precious little experience behind wheel of a Formula One car. Kvyat’s only F1 outing to date came in this year’s Young Driver Test at Silverstone in July, but he did not complete enough running to earn a Super Licence – a driver must complete 300km in reasonably current F1 machinery before a Super Licence will be granted.
The next Formula One race is in Austin, Texas on 17 November. Friday practice (in which Kvyat is hoping to take part) is on 15 November. That gives him just 9 days to secure a Super Licence if he is to drive a Toro Rosso at the Circuit of the Americas in just over a week’s time.
To that end, Daniil Kvyat will drive a 2011 Toro Rosso car in Italy this week in order to cover the required 300km before his Super Licence will be issued. Assuming all goes according to plan, Kvyat should be behind the wheel of a 2013 Toro Rosso in Austin for Free Practice 1 on 15 November.
Chris on F1 
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