
Daniil Kvyat debuted in Super GT by finishing sixth in the GT300 class at the 2026 season opener in Okayama. He raced the #88 JLOC Lamborghini Huracan GT3 alongside Takashi Kogure, marking his first experience in Japan and in a GT3 car.
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Daniil Kvyat made an eye-catching start to his Super GT career by finishing sixth in the GT300 class in the 2026 season opener at the Okayama International Circuit.
The former Formula 1 driver shared the #88 JLOC Lamborghini Huracan GT3 with Takashi Kogure on his debut in the Japanese series.
Kvyat’s move to Super GT had generated significant interest over the winter, but the Russian arrived with limited experience — not only was it his first time racing in Japan, but it was also his first race in a GT3 car. As a result, he had prioritised learning above all else and stated before the season that he had set no specific targets.
Despite those modest expectations, Kvyat made an immediate impact.
After qualifying 14th in Q2, he took over from Kogure for the second stint and delivered a strong performance in the race. Running on a strategy that involved changing only the rear tyres, he climbed to seventh while fending off pressure from behind.
Kvyat then produced a decisive move at the double hairpin to overtake the #52 Green Brave Toyota Supra GT300 — which was attempting a no-tyre-change strategy — securing sixth place at the finish.
"Very good!," he said when reflecting on his weekend.
"I would say I'm quite happy. First of all, with all the teamwork. Everyone was very good, good communication. First qualifying was good and I reached a good level.
"Now, I can work on making the last step, but I'm there with all the other guys from the team who are a lot more experienced than me. So it's good. I think I'm starting to understand.
"In the race, I was able to really push hard. We had a good strategy with the team. Good out lap, good first laps after pit stop, some overtaking.
"Then the battle for P6 was very exciting and very difficult because they (GreenBrave) were fast on the straight. Every time I'm closed in the corner, but I'm in the straight and I'm like, 'I cannot come close!' I had to invent something different."
#88 VENTENY Lamborghini GT3
Kvyat had previously expressed confidence in his ability to adapt, and after securing a strong result on debut, he believes that process is already ahead of schedule.
"A lot of learning because it's also my first race in a GT car at all," he said.
"GT3 car, Super GT, GT3 is the first time ever, but I learned fast - maybe a bit faster than I expected, which is good, but I prefer it that way and now we can focus on the details.
"I just had to understand the tyres, braking and everything. It's quite different to formula cars and everything else. So I had to learn and now I feel like I'm happy where I am but now I can learn to focus on smaller things."
Attention will now turn to the next round at Fuji Speedway, which will present another new challenge for the 31-year-old.
Asked if he can aim for a podium in the coming races, he said: "I hope so. If we look purely at qualifying, some cars were very fast. So it's not easy to find this gap quickly with just a simple set-up change.
"But I heard here maybe things can change race to race, different car conditions and so on. So we will see; it's all new to me.
"Also, at Fuji, I will have to adapt to conditions and [then] we see where we are. Of course, I would like to fight as far ahead as possible, but I prefer to take it step by step and do my best in every session."
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Daniil Kvyat finished sixth in the GT300 class during his Super GT debut.
Daniil Kvyat drove the #88 JLOC Lamborghini Huracan GT3 in the Super GT series.
Daniil Kvyat's teammate in the Super GT race was Takashi Kogure.
Daniil Kvyat faced challenges due to limited experience, as it was his first race in Japan and in a GT3 car.


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