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SYDNEY, May 25 AAP - Still seething after being demoted by Red Bull, Russian Formula One driver Daniil Kvyat claims he would have outscored Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo this season had he been given the chance.
Kvyat was 15 points behind Ricciardo when he was dropped to Red Bull's second team, Toro Rosso, after just four rounds of the 2016 Formula One season for youngster Max Verstappen.
Despite a poorly performing car that hindered both the Russian and the Australian last year, Kvyat did finish higher than Ricciardo in 2015 and he believes he would have done so again this season.
"I believe the circumstances back then were not favourable but then they started to get better and better," Kvyat told autosport.com.
"The second half of the season for me at Red Bull Racing, it was good, stable.
"I was matching and beating Daniel, I scored more points than Daniel and it would have been the same this year again."
Despite earning the team's first podium finish of 2016 in China, Kvyat had collided with former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, causing a flow-on affect which led to Ricciardo being hit.
The Australian recovered to finish fourth while Kvyat claimed third.
Kvyat also vehemently denied suggestions he'd been placed into the Red Bull team too young, when he was just 20.
"All the things about a 'too early' approach are bulls**t."
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