A Toro Rosso sponsor has said that Daniil Kvyat could be back racing in a month's time.
The junior Red Bull team has announced that Kvyat has been sidelined for "the next races" to make way for young Frenchman Pierre Gasly.
"For a variety of reasons, some of them due to technical problems, but others being mistakes of his own making, Daniil Kvyat has not really shown his true potential so far this year, which is why we are standing him down for the next races," said manager Franz Tost.
"This will give us the opportunity to evaluate Pierre on track during a proper race weekend. The driver switch gives us an opportunity to make a more informed decision regarding our 2018 driver choices."
In subsequent comments, Toro Rosso sponsor Acronis' chief Serguei Beloussov insisted: "He is just out for two races while Gasly is tested. (Carlos) Sainz is still leaving, so next season is still open."
