Kvyat's got his confidence back, says Red Bull

The Russian youngster was left baffled after qualifying at Sakhir, when he was at a loss to explain why he had ended up 15th on the grid.

"It's never been so... so strange in my career, to be honest," Kvyat told Motorsport.com. "To be so happy with the car for the whole weekend, and suddenly comes qualifying and we are nowhere. It's a bit embarrassing even, to be honest."

But Kvyat did not let his Saturday struggles get him down and recovered in the race to finish seventh overall.

Horner believes that such a strong recovery on Sunday will have been a huge help to Kvyat, who had a troubled season opener in Australia when he stopped on the grid.

"I think this race will have done his confidence a world of good," Horner told Motorsport.com. "He was competitive throughout, so I think pretty good really."

Tyre focus

Red Bull planned to look closer at what happened to Kvyat in qualifying during meetings at the team factory this week.

However, Horner suspects that the issue related to tyre temperatures – and the fact that Kvyat may not have fully adjusted to the cooler conditions of qualifying compared to the warmth of P3.

"I think we need to look at it during the week," explained Horner. "I think I am 90  percent certain that it relates to tyre condition – whether they were too hot or too cold. They are quite sensitive.

"Earlier in the day with the hotter temperatures he was very happy and competitive with the car, and as it cooled down he was less happy."