Kamui Kobayashi F1 Profile & Career Stats

Kamui Kobayashi Biography

Kamui Kobayashi testing Sauber C30 2011

Speed has never been a problem for Kamui Kobayashi, consistency has. Yet the Japanese driver finds himself kicked to the curb in Formula 1 after a dismal last stab with Caterham.

After three up and down seasons with Sauber, which culminated in him being outdone by younger team mate Sergio Pérez, Kamui found himself on the scrap heap last year with his F1 career seemingly over. But a life line appeared in the form of Caterham, but it went even worse than he could have imagined.

His speed was okay, although his team-mate lacks Kamui’s ability behind the wheel. But it was away from the track where things went wrong. Financial problems ruined Caterham, and they even dropped Kobayashi for one race in order to raise funds from another driver.

Kamui Kobayashi

Kamui has had moderate success wherever he has gone but the scouts have all recognised the potential for a leading driver. At just 18 he signed for the Toyota Driving School and under their tutelage claimed the Eurocup Formula Renault title and Formula Renault 2.0 title in 2005.

Soon he was racing in Formula Three alongside Paul di Resta and Sebastian Vettel but only impressed sporadically. A brilliant win in only his second GP2 race showed the maturity he was lacking in early years but once again he failed to push on and fell away to 16^th in the championship.

In 2009 he was drafted into F1 when Toyota promoted him for the final two races following an injury to Timo Glock. Kobayashi shone on the big stage and was part of an enthralling fight with Jenson Button, who was trying to secure the world championship. Button called Kobayashi “absolutely crazy” but he thrilled audiences with his daring overtaking manoeuvres.

Kamui Kobayashi testing at Ferrari

The following year he was quickly signed by Sauber after Toyota pulled out of the sport. With big things expected of him after his impactful debut, things turned quickly sour when he retired from the first four races, completing less than 20 laps.

However, he continued to show F1 that the back-end of last year wasn’t a fluke and finished 7^th in the European Grands Prix after a daring move on Fernando Alonso. Kobayashi went on to claim 32 points that season.

In 2011 Sauber couldn't maintain their strong start to the season and points became difficult to find. A disqualification for a car irregularity cost Kamui 8^th place in Australia, but there were strong showings in Malaysia and Monaco, where he finished a career high 5^th.

In Canada he was having the drive of his life and ran as high as second in the wet weather, but when the track started to dry he faded to 7^th. A disappointing second half of the season didn’t see Kamui improve on 2010’s total and he finished with 30 points.

Ironically, his last season at Sauber came when he had his best. But it didn’t help that his new team mate Sergio Pérez was outperforming him.

Despite this he managed to secure his first F1 podium in front of his home supporters with 3^rd at the Japanese Grands Prix, holding off Jenson Button. He once again finished 12^th in the standings, but this time doubling his haul with 60 points.

A future in F1 is unlikely after his Caterham set-back.

Kamui Kobayashi Championship Results

Kamui Kobayashi F1 Seasons Summary

Year	Team	Engine	GP	1st	2nd	3rd	Pod	Pole	Laps	FL	Avg Pts	Points
2014	Caterham	Renault	15	0	0	0	0	0	664	0	0.00	0
2012	Sauber	Ferrari	20	0	0	1	1	0	1043	1	3.00	60
2011	Sauber	Ferrari	19	0	0	0	0	0	1003	0	1.58	30
2010	BMW Sauber	Ferrari	19	0	0	0	0	0	720	0	1.68	32
2009	Toyota	Toyota	2	0	0	0	0	0	126	0	1.50	3