Kvyat feels confidence is back after "grey" races

Kvyat and teammate Carlos Sainz delivered Toro Rosso's best qualifying results since the Australian GP as they grabbed seventh and sixth respectively at the Marina Bay circuit.

And after some recent struggles for Kvyat, whose future at the team has been the subject of intense speculation, the Russian said that he finally felt things were heading in the right direction.

When asked if his qualifying form had left him the happiest he had been since returning to Toro Rosso at the Spanish GP, Kvyat said: "Yeah. We have a much more full understanding with what is going on with the car. Me, I am asking what it is capable of – not more or less.

"It was a very decent session so I think we should be happy. Until today, everything has been going well – but the race is still to come so we shouldn't be overwhelmed."

After recent tough times for Toro Rosso at Spa and Monza, Kvyat thinks the showing in Singapore has offered a better indication of where the team's form really is.

"They were a bit grey races, there was nothing really clear because of big compromises with the car," he said.

"It wasn't even relevant – but here we see a true picture of where we should be or what we should be capable of here. And we were under pressure the whole team, we knew this would be one of our best chances. So far we have delivered and now it is in our hands for the race."

Although Kvyat's form should ease the pressure on him to prove to his bosses that he deserves a new contract for next year, the Russian said he never doubted good performances would come, nor that his run of bad luck would end.

"Why would I worry about it, I don't have any influence on that," he said. "So, I just keep doing my job. There is nothing else I can do. I have been doing my job the whole weekend and so far it has brought me good things.

"We have put ourselves in a good position and it is up to us to take the most out of it. Let's see how we can do – certainly today we have a good car in our hands and we will try to make the most out of them."