Since Red Bull announced that they would swap Daniil Kvyat for Max Verstappen, there has been a lot of debate about whether Verstappen is better than Kvyat. Kvyat has more Formula One experience than the younger Verstappen, but statistics show that Verstappen is better.
Both drivers made their Formula One debut with Toro Rosso, the sister team of Red Bull Racing, although Verstappen’s journey appears to have been a little easier than Kvyat’s. Verstappen spent most of his younger days in the karting series, then moving up to some Formula Three events while also serving as Toro Rosso’s test driver in 2014. After only a year of serious Formula Three experience, he was signed to Toro Rosso as one half of the team’s rookie lineup.
On the other hand, Kvyat’s journey was much lengthier. He too spent some of his earlier years karting, before moving to Formula BMW and Formula Renault 2.0 disciplines in 2010. He continued to mess around in various Formula series until he won the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps championship in 2012. The following year he advanced to the GP3 Series, which he would win, and Formula Three. He would also act as Toro Rosso’s test driver in 2013. The following year, he was given a seat on Toro Rosso and would eventually replace Sebastian Vettel on Red Bull in 2015.
When comparing two drivers, there are always some important factors to consider. For example, if you compare Verstappen and Kvyat’s entire career, you would see that Kvyat appears to be the more successful driver. However, you would need to take into account that he has raced nearly twice as many races as Verstappen and has spent over season on the bigger and more successful Red Bull team. On the other hand, Verstappen has never had a chance to drive for Red Bull, so all of his statistics come from a team that isn’t as competitive as Red Bull. In fact, most of Kvyat’s success has been achieved during his time at Red Bull.
The statistics in the charts below show that Verstappen is the better driver statistically. Kvyat has had more success than Verstappen during his entire career, but if you only include Kvyat’s career up to the same point where Verstappen is at, you will notice that Kvyat is no longer the stronger driver.
Of course, statistics only paint part of the picture and we will have to wait until Verstappen gets behind the wheel of the Red Bull for the Spanish Grand Prix to see if he is able to showcase his talent with the big boys. It’s difficult to say at the moment whether Red Bull’s decision was the right one or not, but they have certainly created an interesting dynamic. You now have Verstappen, who will be looking to show that the team made the right decision in promoting him and now you have Kvyat, who will be looking to show that the team made the wrong decision in swapping him and he may even have some anger towards the team. It will be great to watch the two drivers that both have something to prove.
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