Christian Horner thinks it is unfair to judge Daniil Kvyat after the first four races of his Red Bull career due to the amount of issues he's suffered with his car.
Kvyat replaced four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel this season but so far has two DNFs and a pair of ninth-place finishes to his name. He's also yet to out-qualify team-mate Daniel Ricciardo and lined up 17th in Bahrain after dropping out of Q1 due to "energy" issues with his Red Bull.
Red Bull has had a tough start to the season with its problematic Renault power unit and Horner says it would be harsh to judge the Russian at this stage.
"The problem for Daniil is that he's had a lot of issues, more than his fair share, that have interrupted practice sessions, qualifying sessions, races," Horner said. "When he's had a clean run, like [Bahrain], he's done a good job. Malaysia he drove a very strong race there. It's very hard to judge him at the moment because he's not had a fair hand."
When asked what his own impression has been, Horner replied: "What we're seeing is he's definitely quick, his feedback is strong, he's not let his chin drop. I think with a bit of time and some consistency you'll start to see his potential."
Kvyat's struggles have been magnified by the impressive early form of Toro Rosso rookies Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen. But the Russian was in a defiant mood after the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he battled through the field to finish ninth.
"I will not doubt my own abilities, and if others have, I don't care," Kvyat said. "It's frustrating of course but on the other hand things can turn around very quickly. Obviously, there are things to look at and I'm used to sorting things out with hard work and dedication and that will not change."