Kvyat: With the right settings, Red Bull is at the McLaren level

      Former Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat believes that Red Bull Racing has a fast enough car to compete for the title with the McLaren drivers. However, according to Kvyat, the task is complicated by the fact that the RB21 has a very narrow operating range, which is not always possible to get into.

      Daniil Kvyat: "Obviously, Red Bull has a fast car, but, apparently, it has a very narrow operating range. When an engineer and a racer have a lot of experience working with such a car, you can make it fast, but for this you need to bring it into the operating range. Otherwise, you're lagging behind McLaren, but when the right settings are selected, then Red Bull is on par with McLaren.

      In qualifying with new tires that provide more grip, the difference is not so noticeable, but over the race distance it becomes more obvious, as it was in Miami. In that race, the McLaren looked very stable, efficient on acceleration, and controlled tire wear and temperature. With such a density of struggle, all these things matter."

      When asked if the team is developing cars exclusively for Max Verstappen's driving style, and therefore other drivers, including Sergio Perez, cannot find an approach to it, Kvyat said: "This is possible, because it seems quite logical.

      In Formula 1, everything comes down to details: tire temperature, operating range, settings – all these are very complicated things. If at least one piece of the puzzle is missing, the result can be disastrous.

      You can be a good racer, but if you can't get the car and tires into range, you're going to lose half a second. It's normal, and it's one of the things I had to deal with in my early years in Formula 1. This process is very interesting, but if you get lost in it, you can ruin all your chances.

      As for Sergio, I didn't drive his car, so I can't say for sure."

      Commenting on the replacement of Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda this season, Daniel said: "The team knows what is best for them. The situation is that the part of the team that works with Max Verstappen is perfect, while the other part seems to have more problems.

      I do not know the details because I am not in the team. But I know that this machine can be fast if you can make it work. Why they don't always succeed is another question."