Tost believes Kvyat penalty was "unjustified"
Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula 1 team principal Franz Tost says that the drive-through penalty handed to Daniil Kvyat in the Chinese GP was "unjustified."
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Kvyat had first-lap contact with the McLarens of both Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, causing both drivers to pit for new front wings.
Kvyat himself initially continued without making an extra stop, but he was assessed a drive-through penalty and given two penalty points on his licence.
The stewards noted that he had "lost control of his car at the exit of turn 6 and hit the cars to his left. He did this on his own and the Stewards determined that he was wholly at fault, causing the collision".
Although there was nothing he could do about the decision after the race, Kvyat went to see the stewards in company with team manager Graham Watson.
"This penalty for me is unjustified," Tost told Motorsport.com. "Norris was off the track, and he came back very aggressively, so what should Daniil do? For me this decision is not correct.
"You can't change it, but Daniil and Graham went to the stewards to tell them that this is our opinion, and I share this opinion because I watched it on TV once more just now with the engineers. It cannot be that someone is off the track, is coming back, and then the other one is there. What should he do?"
Later in the race Kvyat lost more time when front wing damage was spotted at his scheduled stop, and the team decided to pit him again and change it. When it was clear that he would not score any points, the team stopped the car.
"We retired him because we wanted to save engine mileage," said Tost. "The regulations say only three engine. So instead of running the car out on the track we decided to call him in."
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