Thread: Kamui Kobayashi - Japan’s next F1 superstar?

from F1.com

News that Toyota’s Timo Glock is to miss this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix after his Suzuka qualifying crash comes as a bitter blow to a driver on the hunt for a fourth podium and - if rumours are to believed - a seat for 2010. But for the Japanese team’s third driver Kamui Kobayashi, Glock’s Interlagos absence represents the biggest opportunity of his motor racing career to date. As the 23-year-old from Hyogo Prefecture prepares to make his Formula One race debut, we take a look back at how he’s progressed through the ranks…

Like most drivers, Kobayashi initially made a name for himself racing in local and then national karting tournaments in his home country. Aged just nine, the Japanese youngster finished third in the SL Takarazuka Tournament Cadet Class and over the next seven years clinched a further five junior titles. By then he’d done enough to catch the much sought-after attentions of Toyota and in 2001 landed a place in the Japanese manufacturer’s young drivers’ programme.

This led to his first full season of single-seaters in 2003, when he finished second overall in Formula Toyota. Continued financial support from Toyota saw him head to Europe in 2004, where he chose the Italian Formula Renault series to launch his international racing career. It was a brave move but Kobayashi proved up to the task, with two wins and three pole positions taking him to seventh in the final standings.

Keen for any opportunity to race, he also competed in rounds of the 2004 Dutch and German Formula Renault series, as well as the Formula Renault Asia Challenge. Clearly not afraid of hard work, Kobayashi chose to stick with Formula Renault for 2005, this time entering the Italian and Euro series. With six wins and four pole positions in each, he took both championships with ease.

From there he followed the well-trodden path into Formula Three. Racing in the 2006 F3 Euro series he scored three podiums in his first season and finished the year eighth overall. Another outing at the prestigious Macau Grand Prix saw him take a surprise pole, an impressive achievement despite only finishing the race 19th.

Kobayashi had impressed enough for Toyota to offer him his first taste of a Formula One car with three days of testing during the winter break, before returning to his ‘day job’ to compete in a second season of Formula Three Euro in 2007.

His second attempt at the series proved more promising than his first and he drove to fourth in the standings after a win and a further six podiums. Although team mate and future Renault Formula One driver Romain Grosjean took the title, with his raw speed and a growing maturity behind the wheel, Toyota had more than enough reason to offer Kobayashi a fuller F1 role and signed him up as their third driver for the 2008 season.

Wanting to keep his hand in with racing, however, Kobayashi also joined the super-competitive GP2 Asia and main GP2 Series. He enjoyed two wins in the Asian competition to finish sixth overall, before scoring a maiden main series win in the Catalunya sprint race. He went on to finish 16thin the table, a worthy performance for a debutant.

Despite competing in 30 races that season there was no let up for Kobayashi during the winter break, with the 2009 GP2 Asia series getting underway in October ’08. Driving for the DAMS team he scored two wins on his way to claiming the title, though he was unable to carry that success into the main GP2 Series that got underway in May ‘09 and finished 16th again with one podium. 2009 also saw Kobayashi continue his third driver and testing duties for Toyota. He was one of the few testers to enjoy track time in an ‘09 car, covering four days (and 165 laps) over the winter.

That meant that when Timo Glock succumbed to a heavy cold and fever ahead of the recent Japanese Grand Prix, Toyota didn’t hesitate in drafting Kobayashi in for the Friday practice sessions. Despite just a few hours’ notice, he acquitted himself well, coping with Suzuka’s wet conditions with a confidence that belied his inexperience. Although Glock returned on the Saturday, a qualifying accident ruled him out of the race. Sadly, however, Kobayashi was not allowed to compete in his place, having not practised on Saturday as required by the regulations

Then, just as it looked as though he’d missed his big chance, news that Glock has a cracked vertebra in his back means Kobayashi has been called up once more, this time for the entire Brazilian Grand Prix meeting.

It’s not known yet if Glock will be fit enough to return for next month’s season finale in Abu Dhabi, but one thing that’s certain is that Toyota desperately want a talented Japanese driver in their race line-up. And with neither Glock nor Jarno Trulli confirmed for 2010, if Kobayashi performs well at Interlagos a permanent promotion for 2010 could be on the cards. Watch this space.

can't wait to see how he does!

^thinking the same thing, toyota needs a breath of fresh air...he might just do the trick!

Takuma Sato has not given up on F1 either. He believes he has unfinished business and is actively looking for a ride for 2010.

^whoa...wait! what? come again? how?

I was disappointed when Sato didn't get the Toro Rosso seat. Hopefully next season he can find a seat maybe with the new teams.

Can't wait to see the outcome of this. Japs can drive the heck out of a car.

Takuma Sato is confident he can bounce back into a Formula One race seat, after departing the paddock with the failed Super Aguri team mid last year.

After some tests with Toro Rosso over the pre-2009 winter period, the Japanese driver made his first paddock appearance of this season at Suzuka last weekend.

A Japanese sports newspaper said the 32-year-old veteran of 93 grands prix with three separate teams was "job hunting", sensing some opportunities with the turmoil of the 2010 driver market.

Sato told the Reuters news agency that he is in talks not only with the new teams but also existing ones, and also considers switching to the American open wheeler series IRL an option for 2010.

"I'm putting the same weight towards F1 and IRL," he revealed, admitting his appearance at Suzuka was to ensure his face is remembered at a time when teams are contemplating their line-ups for the following season.

"I've found sometimes you can't control all things by yourself ... You can't afford to be forgotten," said Sato.

^smart, i just hope he doesnt go to IRL..thats like downgrading right?

IRL is def a downgrade in technology, but keep in mind, if you're a race car driver and need work, you go where the work is. In F1 you have a very short time to prove that you belong. If you can't get it done, you're out.