Kvyat ’not afraid’ of Red Bull criticism

Daniil Kvyat insists he is "not afraid" of speaking his mind in the wake of his controversial demotion by Red Bull.

Just before Max Verstappen won in Barcelona, it was Russian Kvyat who was unceremoniously flicked back to the energy drink company’s junior team Toro Rosso.

Obviously angry, the 22-year-old has since made clear his displeasure, declaring he has a "long memory", has been the victim of F1 politics, and that he could have backed up his 2015 points feat by beating Daniel Ricciardo again in 2016.

Asked in Monaco if he is not afraid that negative comments about Red Bull could hurt his career, Kvyat answered: "At the moment I am not afraid of anything.

"I said what I thought. If someone doesn’t like it, that’s alright."

Kvyat also has a forthright view about the to-ing and fro-ing in Monaco over the clampdown on helmet visor tear-offs, with the FIA now allowing drivers to discard on the track two strips per race.

"This talk about the number of strips - one, two, ten - is like kindergarten," he said.

"To me everything is clear: on the track, you need to change the strips. Sometimes it is necessary after the second or third lap, or if it gets covered with oil, you need to tear it off straight away and not in the pits.

"I think we will get further clarifications," Kvyat added, "because for safety reasons we need a clear visor."