Red Bull have confirmed that Max Verstappen will be promoted to a Red Bull seat with immediate effect, replacing Daniil Kvyat from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards.
The surprising move comes after a string of errors from Kvyat during the Russian GP which saw him make contact with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who then made contact with Daniel Ricciardo, potentially costing Red Bull a chances at securing a large points haul.
Instead, the team dropped further behind Mercedes and Ferrari in the standings and are now just six points ahead of Williams.
"Max has proven to be an outstanding young talent," commented team principal Christian Horner. "His performance at Toro Rosso has been impressive so far and we are pleased to give him the opportunity to drive for Red Bull Racing.
"We are in the unique position to have all four drivers across Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso under long term contracts with Red Bull, so we have the flexibility to move them between the two teams."
Kvyat will take up Verstappen's seat at Toro Rosso – where he drove in 2014 – to "continue his development".
"Dany will be able to continue his development at Toro Rosso, in a team that he is familiar with, giving him the chance to regain his form and show his potential."
There is likely more behind the move than just Kvyat's errors. With rivals making attempts to poach the young Dutch driver for 2017, Red Bull have acted early to ensure he remains within the Red Bull family.
A promotion at the end of the year was somewhat of a certainty, so it makes sense for the team to act early and guarantee Verstappen stays before finding a seat elsewhere.
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