Kobayashi

[Koz]

Hum, he's doing good things these days it seems.

He's starting to remind me of JPM's a little.

Does he have a contract for next year?

Such a shame, we have so many drivers who are all so highly ranked, all capable of winning that this guy will probably continue in the midfield.

We've all seen it, guys like Webber and Bunsen never having a "chance" and then at the end of their career they make headlines or even Nick who just fade away into obscurity without ever really having a grand chance, while the like of Kimi and Lewis and Vettel come in early to more powerful teams and shine straight away.

I hope this does not happen to him. If not next year, the year after if he gets a competitive drive he could do well.

[gloomyDAY]

I liked what you said, especially the comparison to JPM.

I've noticed he keeps getting beaten in qualifying by his teammate.
If he ups his game in qualifying, then he'll kick ass next year.

[maximilian]

He certainly has done enough now to prove that he isn't a fluke. There have been too many races where he showed some genuinely good stuff.

We know he'll be at Sauber in 2011. For 2012, some interesting cockpits may open up, I am thinking RedBull, Ferrari and even Mercedes might take a second look at this youngster, especially if he matures further and has more of these races in 2011?

[CNR]

if only he had been a williams and not Kazuki Nakajima (http://www.formula1.com/results/driver/2009/827.html) who knows how many points he would have got ?

[Easy Drifter]

Like many a youngster he still makes too many mistakes, but then so does Vettel and at times Hamilton. He will mature.
I think he has huge potential and either he or Sauber are prepared to gamble on strategy. He has proven it is possible to pass if you are hungry enough.
Most of the drivers at the top are too concerned about points to take risks or force the issue.

[Jag_Warrior]

There are a lot of drivers out there. But this guy is a RACER! And these days, that's becoming (sadly) too rare. And yes, he does remind one of Juan Pablo. I'd like to see him continue on and get better. But if Slimmy's Mexican ride buyers get the Sauber seats in the next year or two, I hope that Kamui finds a better home somewhere else.

[Valve Bounce]

There are a lot of drivers out there. But this guy is a RACER! And these days, that's becoming (sadly) too rare. And yes, he does remind one of Juan Pablo. I'd like to see him continue on and get better. But if Slimmy's Mexican ride buyers get the Sauber seats in the next year or two, I hope that Kamui finds a better home somewhere else.

I agree :up:

[Sonic]

He has proven it is possible to pass if you are hungry enough.
Most of the drivers at the top are too concerned about points to take risks or force the issue.

^^^^^^ this :up:

He drives like he's playing a computer game - if there's a braking zone it's a possible overtaking spot.

I hope that he matures into a rounded individual; good qualifying pace, nice technical feedback etc. But without loosing his rawness that allows him the self belief to go for these moves.

[CNR]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/david-coulthard/8056627/David-Coulthard-they-may-be-rank-outsiders-but-it-is-not-all-over-for-McLaren-just-yet.html



Kamui is still raw but he is already the best Japanese driver we have seen in F1.
His race craft is improving while his overtaking on Sunday was phenomenal; aggressive, controlled, very impressive. Can he make it to the very top and mix it with the Lewis Hamiltons and Sebastian Vettels of this world? It’s too early to say.

[wedge]

Would love to see him in a Renault or Mercedes GP, maybe Force India

[Robinho]

i like him, and i rated him as driver o f the race for Japan like many, but he does place a lot of faith in the other drivers when he's sending one up the inside like he did at the weekend, it only would have taken one guy to turn in and claim they hadn't seen him and it all would have been moot.

All that said i hope he keeps his approach, he seems to have a really good feel for the car in the braking zones and he's certainly not afriad to try things

[Sonic]

i like him, and i rated him as driver o f the race for Japan like many, but he does place a lot of faith in the other drivers when he's sending one up the inside like he did at the weekend, it only would have taken one guy to turn in and claim they hadn't seen him and it all would have been moot.

It is true to say that all drivers have a mental Filofax as it were of the other drivers strengths and weaknesses. Kobay is still somewhat of an unknown so no ones going to expect him to send one up the inside at the hairpin. However I am surprised that no one got on the blower to the drivers as Kobay approached to say "by the way Rubens, Kobayashi is stupidly good on the brakes into the hairpin - stay left".

[maximilian]

If the rumor of Panasonic sponsorship comes true, and coupled with Mexican money, Sauber may be able to mount a pretty good challenge, and Kobayashi may be found on the podium in 2011? :)

[UltimateDanGTR]

If the rumor of Panasonic sponsorship comes true, and coupled with Mexican money, Sauber may be able to mount a pretty good challenge, and Kobayashi may be found on the podium in 2011? :)

now that's a great dream......aslong as sauber change their livery, I'm all for it! :D

Mind you, I think mexican sponsorship money is a big possibility, Perez enjoys a good bit of that if I recall correctly....

[Dr. Krogshöj]

now that's a great dream......aslong as sauber change their livery, I'm all for it! :D

Mind you, I think mexican sponsorship money is a big possibility, Perez enjoys a good bit of that if I recall correctly....

Panasonic and Telmex on the same car would make for a very nice blue & white livery and some decent dough for James Key to spend.

[ioan]

Would love to see him in a Renault or Mercedes GP, maybe Force India

You must be kidding me. Why do you think that the FI is a better car right now? I am rather sure that Sauber will come up with better race cars than Maliya, no doubt about that at all.

[ioan]

i like him, and i rated him as driver o f the race for Japan like many, but he does place a lot of faith in the other drivers when he's sending one up the inside like he did at the weekend, it only would have taken one guy to turn in and claim they hadn't seen him and it all would have been moot.

That's the name of the game, trust in himself and in the other driver's judgement. Without that there would be no competition only lunatics taking each other out and no one would ever attempt an overtaking move, ever again.

PS: Do you trust the other drivers in the traffic when you drive by?

[steveaki13]

PS: Do you trust the other drivers in the traffic when you drive by?

:uhoh: Never trust anyone. Everyone want wants to push you into a hedge. ;)

[Valve Bounce]

If the rumor of Panasonic sponsorship comes true, and coupled with Mexican money, Sauber may be able to mount a pretty good challenge, and Kobayashi may be found on the podium in 2011? :)

Maybe Porsche will take over Team Sauber and put Kobayashi on the podium. :up:

[Mintexmemory]

2nd seat at Ferrari for 2011 (any current contract could be easily bought out considering how much they paid Raikkonen to sit on his C4 encased butt).
Contractually he'd be 2nd fiddle but he would certainly help the Scuderia's profile among those of us who see them as a negative influence on F1.
Additionally, the merchandising in Ferrari-mad Nippon would probably pay for the deal.
He needs that sort of seat for 2 years by which time he'll either be the hottest ticket around or have shown he hasn't got the final bit to make it. I'd bet on the former, he makes a race worth watching.

[wedge]

You must be kidding me. Why do you think that the FI is a better car right now? I am rather sure that Sauber will come up with better race cars than Maliya, no doubt about that at all.

They've started off well and lost their way as the season went on with Williams easily on par with them and arguably better.

Sutil is one of those hot & cold drivers. Having Kobay as a team mate should give him a kick up the backside.

[maximilian]

Force India is in grave danger of going stale if they don't mix up their driver line-up a bit. Sutil is definitely a keeper for them, but if he leaves, they need to seriously try to get someone like Heidfeld. And Liuzzi simply has to go. Putting di Resta in that seat may be just the refreshing change they need, I still think he can do good things in F1, and I sincerely hope he'll get his shot. There is NO reason to keep Liuzzi at ALL.

For Kobayashi, going to FI wouldn't be a step up, especially giving what looks to be a promising sponsorship situation at Sauber for next season. Put him in the "#27 Ferrari" for 2012! :D

[jens]

Interesting that Sauber decided to sent him out on such strategy - it looks like the team trusts his overtaking skills to deliver the goods with a late-race sprint. Because otherwise a late pitstop for fresh rubber surely costs places (and as we saw, Kamui dropped back to 12th), which will be very difficult to make up for in modern F1. But Kobayashi's skills are worth such a gamble. He still needs to up his game in qualifying to become a serious contender though. At the moment he reminds me a bit of Glock - struggle in most qualifyings and damage limitation in races.

[wedge]

Interesting that Sauber decided to sent him out on such strategy - it looks like the team trusts his overtaking skills to deliver the goods with a late-race sprint. Because otherwise a late pitstop for fresh rubber surely costs places (and as we saw, Kamui dropped back to 12th), which will be very difficult to make up for in modern F1. But Kobayashi's skills are worth such a gamble. He still needs to up his game in qualifying to become a serious contender though. At the moment he reminds me a bit of Glock - struggle in most qualifyings and damage limitation in races.

It was Koby's call to stay out. He told the BBC it was because - odd as it may sound - he wanted to understand the rear tyres.

[Garry Walker]

I like kamui, especially after he overtook the cheaterAlonso at Valencia. That was funny. He is a racer.
His problem is that he lacks pace in qualifying, now, if he got a seat in the top teams then that problem would show even more because at the front races are often decided in qualifying. He needs to improve on that.

[Ranger]

I don't watch GP2. I am curious to know how/why he was beaten by his team-mate in both seasons of GP2 where they were team-mates.

Its odd that that a (thus far) shining F1 driver was beaten soundly in both feeder series seasons by his team-mate.

[Malbec]

I like kamui, especially after he overtook the cheaterAlonso at Valencia. That was funny. He is a racer.
His problem is that he lacks pace in qualifying, now, if he got a seat in the top teams then that problem would show even more because at the front races are often decided in qualifying. He needs to improve on that.

He underperforms in qualifying because apparently the Sauber is atrocious in low fuel trim, so much so that on occasion they haven't even bothered to practice on low fuel and concentrate entirely on the race setup. In terms of beating his teammate in qualifying (admittedly against De La Rosa in the main) he has held his own.

Comparing Sauber and FI's chances next season is difficult. FI has a serious cashflow problem and I expect them so slip back slightly next season but then again despite Sauber signing Telmex they are short of funds for next season too.

I suspect that the entire midfield, by which I mean Williams, Sauber, FI and STR will all drop back from the leaders next season with Lotus moving up to join them in terms of pace. All four of those teams have serious problems raising money at the moment and three of them are even up for sale. The best young drivers in that group which includes Kobayashi, Sutil and possibly Hulkenberg really need to sign over 2011 with the top teams if they want to see their careers progress.

[Mia 01]

He underperforms in qualifying because apparently the Sauber is atrocious in low fuel trim, so much so that on occasion they haven't even bothered to practice on low fuel and concentrate entirely on the race setup. In terms of beating his teammate in qualifying (admittedly against De La Rosa in the main) he has held his own.

Comparing Sauber and FI's chances next season is difficult. FI has a serious cashflow problem and I expect them so slip back slightly next season but then again despite Sauber signing Telmex they are short of funds for next season too.

I suspect that the entire midfield, by which I mean Williams, Sauber, FI and STR will all drop back from the leaders next season with Lotus moving up to join them in terms of pace. All four of those teams have serious problems raising money at the moment and three of them are even up for sale. The best young drivers in that group which includes Kobayashi, Sutil and possibly Hulkenberg really need to sign over 2011 with the top teams if they want to see their careers progress.

Agreed, but I would add Renualt to that group.

[DexDexter]

Force India is in grave danger of going stale if they don't mix up their driver line-up a bit. Sutil is definitely a keeper for them, but if he leaves, they need to seriously try to get someone like Heidfeld. And Liuzzi simply has to go. Putting di Resta in that seat may be just the refreshing change they need, I still think he can do good things in F1, and I sincerely hope he'll get his shot. There is NO reason to keep Liuzzi at ALL.

For Kobayashi, going to FI wouldn't be a step up, especially giving what looks to be a promising sponsorship situation at Sauber for next season. Put him in the "#27 Ferrari" for 2012! :D

To me the driver line-up is not the problem. They've lost the bulk of their design team to Lotus, that's starting to show and my guess is that next year they just keep going backwards.

[truefan72]

I don't watch GP2. I am curious to know how/why he was beaten by his team-mate in both seasons of GP2 where they were team-mates.

Its odd that that a (thus far) shining F1 driver was beaten soundly in both feeder series seasons by his team-mate.

....and what's this got to do with his performance in F1.

Federer had a losing record against many top players in the juniors and his first 2 years as a pro. Now he is the best ever. I wonder what that means. it is odd http://www.motorsportforums.com/forums/images/icons/rolleyes.gif

[truefan72]

Comparing Sauber and FI's chances next season is difficult. FI has a serious cashflow problem and I expect them so slip back slightly next season but then again despite Sauber signing Telmex they are short of funds for next season too.

I suspect that the entire midfield, by which I mean Williams, Sauber, FI and STR will all drop back from the leaders next season with Lotus moving up to join them in terms of pace. All four of those teams have serious problems raising money at the moment and three of them are even up for sale. The best young drivers in that group which includes Kobayashi, Sutil and possibly Hulkenberg really need to sign over 2011 with the top teams if they want to see their careers progress.

where are you getting your info from or are you just making stuff up.
I have heard of no money problems for these teams and Force India is in good shape too despite their legal battles. Sauber signed a good deal and Peter Sauber has said all along that they are well set for 2010. Williams is in good shape too, and none of them are up for sale. So either give us some sensible links or stuikc to what is actually know about these teams.

As to Kobayashi and Sutil signing for top teams, easier said than done!

[Duchess]

Isn't Williams losing RBS and Air Asia as sponsors next season? If that's the case, then Williams for sure won't be in the best financial situation.

[rjbetty]

Like the JPM comparison. Don't think he's that good though sadly. Montoya would have done more than just match De la Rosa in qualifying, even in his first year.
But his racing is much better than Sato's! Sato was always praised for his racing, but unlike Kobayashi, I can honestly not ever remember a move of his that actually came off (without a crash)! I'm sure there were some...

Having said that, Montoya had a good Williams to drive - makes it a bit easier...

[Malbec]

where are you getting your info from or are you just making stuff up.
I have heard of no money problems for these teams and Force India is in good shape too despite their legal battles. Sauber signed a good deal and Peter Sauber has said all along that they are well set for 2010. Williams is in good shape too, and none of them are up for sale. So either give us some sensible links or stuikc to what is actually know about these teams.

You've answered your own questions haven't you?

Force India is in good shape too despite their legal battles? You mean the legal battles surrounding their non-payment of bills? They wouldn't have that problem if they were flush with cash would they? I don't think Mallya's financial problems are a secret.

As has been pointed out already Williams are losing their biggest sponsor RBS and also Air Asia in addition to having had to dip into funds to pay for engines with Cosworth. They may not be on the ropes and are certainly not for sale but are definitely desperate for funds.

Sauber is well set for 2010? Yes they are thanks to BMW bankrolling them through this season and with the TV money owed to them. 2011 is however a different season and BMW will no longer fund them, plus their TV revenue will drop simply through finishing lower this season than last. Telmex is great but its their first major sponsor for 2011 and the size of the sponsorship won't cover the shortfall. Its no secret that Sauber is looking for someone to buy the team rather than merely sponsor them since he desperately wants to retire, but of course he won't turn a sponsor away simply because they don't want to buy the team.

Both Sauber and STR were courting Telmex to buy them out, except that Slim isn't interested in buying into a team at the moment. STR has been on sale ever since it became a liability after they had to go through the expense of designing their own car.

[ykiki]

...But his racing is much better than Sato's! Sato was always praised for his racing, but unlike Kobayashi, I can honestly not ever remember a move of his that actually came off (without a crash)! I'm sure there were some...

The one that comes to mind for me was Sato's pass of Alonso in Canada. Super Aguri vs. McLaren. Beyond that, I just have images of carbon fiber shards dancing through my head.

[gloomyDAY]

Time to revisit this thread. Show of hands. Who loves watching this kid race?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/91699

[jens]

Kobayashi is very impressive. :up: Without two punctures in the last two races he could have threatened a Top6 finish. Then again hard to tell, how much were those punctures due to his own very aggressive driving style. I'm wondering if Kamui is going to be the first Japanese driver, who gets a drive in a genuine top team (I say that because before 2004 nobody really considered BAR as a top team and their good form was considered as sort of a fluke)? Especially with new rules, which put less emphasis on qualifying, he manages to use his strengths even more. I'm not sure if he has got the outright pace to match the likes of Vettel, Hamilton and Alonso race in race out if he ever moved to a top team, but for me he is certainly knocking on the door to becoming a Top6 driver on the grid.

[Robinho]

I like him a lot, he's fun, he races hard, but seemingly pretty fair, and intelligently. I'd love to see him in a top car to see how good he might actually be. I'd have him in a Ferrarr over Massa, a Renault over Petrov (and probably heidi too) and in a Merc over MS, he could be a capable no.2 at the very least IMO

[Koz]

I'd have him in a Ferrarr over Massa, a Renault over Petrov (and probably heidi too) and in a Merc over MS, he could be a capable no.2 at the very least IMO

I have to disagree with that very much.

Having him in a Ferrari will ruin his career - as it would for everyone - but in his case more so because he is the ultimate outsider. Massa was groomed to be a Ferrari driver and yet what has happened to him since Alonso, how Raikkonen was treated? Do you really want to see any half decent driver be Alonso's b***h for the next 5 years?
I think not.

He would burn out very fast if he is in a top team and forced to play seconds. I also don't think that his aggressive race craft would work all that well as a no.2.

Renault is happy with Petrov's money... Petrov and Nick havn't performed badly, if anything they have done well with a podium each this year. I see no reason at all to prefer someone else over Petrov & Nick.

It would be nice for him to replace Shoe though.

[UltimateDanGTR]

Kamui has really matured over the last year to me, whilst not losing any of that brilliant and daring racecraft. Apart from in Catalunya when he was involved in an incident at the start (don't know if it was his fault as I didn't see any replay) He seems to have made sure he doesn't do anything stupid and keeps a cool head, which is really impressive when you consider his aggresion. Put him in a Mclaren, Red Bull or Ferrari this year and he'd have given Vettel a really good run for his money already I'm sure, maybe nearly as much as Hamilton in Catalunya and Shanghai. Him and his team mate are special drivers, I really do hope they get a race or championship winning car in their careers, Kobayashi especially is the sort of driver that would really star I feel.

And it just reflects on the quality of Formula One these days when you can name at least one potential race winner (or champion) within almost every team.

[steveaki13]

I would love to see get a drive in a top team.

I don't know why at this point I can't see it happening. I hope Im wrong.

It seems no big teams ever sign radical Japanese Drivers, while they would sign an radical British or European Driver.

I may be wrong but thats the impression I get.

[The Black Knight]

I would love to see get a drive in a top team.

I don't know why at this point I can't see it happening. I hope Im wrong.

It seems no big teams ever sign radical Japanese Drivers, while they would sign an radical British or European Driver.

I may be wrong but thats the impression I get.

I am with you on this one. He is a fantastic driver and I believe he would be a tough teammate for any of the big boys any day of the week. I'd love to see him in a McLaren or Red Bull.

[wedge]

You must be kidding me. Why do you think that the FI is a better car right now? I am rather sure that Sauber will come up with better race cars than Maliya, no doubt about that at all.

I have to admit that FI was a retarded suggestion

[Sonic]

The lad is fantastic! A little like Kimi, he seems to be a driver born to the wrong age. Here's hoping someone big takes a punt on him.

[jens]

I would love to see get a drive in a top team.

I don't know why at this point I can't see it happening. I hope Im wrong.


Yes, Kamui's (slight?) problem might be that he is not part of anyone's junior programme. He was part of Toyota, but they pulled out. I think he was actually a bit fortunate that he managed to step into F1 juuust right before the exit of Toyota, without that his career would have ended completely without getting noticed and only Toyota people would have known, how good he is (based on tests, simulator, etc).

Anyway... It seems like a common view that Ricciardo/Vergne are the future of RBR, di Resta and Hülkenberg are now both related to Mercedes, Ferrari has its own drivers as well as Renault/Genii/Lotus, etc. His main hope is that the drivers of those programmes turn out not to be good enough (meaning: he has to beat Pérez or whoever is paired with him), so he can convince that he is a better long-term bet than any of their own men.

If Kobayashi keeps beating Pérez, then I actually see a chance that he might have a shot at the Ferrari seat for 2013 (and we may seriously ask, who else then? People like Glock or Kovalainen seem even a longer shot), considering Bianchi isn't exactly impressive in GP2 either. Also McLaren doesn't seem to have a clear junior programme (I have heard they have a karter, but he is still many years away from F1), but they seem most content with their current line-up of any top teams.

About the discussion whether it would be "good" for him to be a "No2" alongside Alonso. Well, by the looks of things Vettel, Alonso and probably also Hamilton will be tied to their teams for many years to come. So this means they will keep battling for WDC's as well. If anyone else wants to have a shot at the title, there are two options. Hope that your own team becomes a top challenger one day, which Rosberg probably still hopes for, or take on one of the mentioned top drivers in their own team. Yes, difficult, extremely challenging, but who said that winning for WDC should be easy? If you want to fight for top results, you have to deal with the ultimate tasks.

[CNR]

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/50292.html

Kobayashi joked that the biggest decision he had to make was which country should receive the large amounts of tax he will be charged on his earnings

now that's a joke lewis

[ShiftingGears]

Yes, Kamui's (slight?) problem might be that he is not part of anyone's junior programme. He was part of Toyota, but they pulled out. I think he was actually a bit fortunate that he managed to step into F1 juuust right before the exit of Toyota, without that his career would have ended completely without getting noticed and only Toyota people would have known, how good he is (based on tests, simulator, etc).

Anyway... It seems like a common view that Ricciardo/Vergne are the future of RBR, di Resta and Hülkenberg are now both related to Mercedes, Ferrari has its own drivers as well as Renault/Genii/Lotus, etc. His main hope is that the drivers of those programmes turn out not to be good enough (meaning: he has to beat Pérez or whoever is paired with him), so he can convince that he is a better long-term bet than any of their own men.

If Kobayashi keeps beating Pérez, then I actually see a chance that he might have a shot at the Ferrari seat for 2013 (and we may seriously ask, who else then? People like Glock or Kovalainen seem even a longer shot), considering Bianchi isn't exactly impressive in GP2 either. Also McLaren doesn't seem to have a clear junior programme (I have heard they have a karter, but he is still many years away from F1), but they seem most content with their current line-up of any top teams.

About the discussion whether it would be "good" for him to be a "No2" alongside Alonso. Well, by the looks of things Vettel, Alonso and probably also Hamilton will be tied to their teams for many years to come. So this means they will keep battling for WDC's as well. If anyone else wants to have a shot at the title, there are two options. Hope that your own team becomes a top challenger one day, which Rosberg probably still hopes for, or take on one of the mentioned top drivers in their own team. Yes, difficult, extremely challenging, but who said that winning for WDC should be easy? If you want to fight for top results, you have to deal with the ultimate tasks.

Perez's pace in qualifying was pretty electric - certainly if Kobayashi doesn't solidly beat Perez I don't think he's going from Sauber too quickly.

[N. Jones]

Hum, he's doing good things these days it seems.

He's starting to remind me of JPM's a little.

Does he have a contract for next year?

Such a shame, we have so many drivers who are all so highly ranked, all capable of winning that this guy will probably continue in the midfield.

We've all seen it, guys like Webber and Bunsen never having a "chance" and then at the end of their career they make headlines or even Nick who just fade away into obscurity without ever really having a grand chance, while the like of Kimi and Lewis and Vettel come in early to more powerful teams and shine straight away.

I hope this does not happen to him. If not next year, the year after if he gets a competitive drive he could do well.

OUCH! If he reminds you of JPM then Kobayashi is in trouble.

Sure, JPM was a fearless passer, but he was an inconsistent mess who I think could have won the drivers title at least once.
I hope Kobayashi ends up better than JPM, although I don't think he can win the WDC.

[jens]

Perez's pace in qualifying was pretty electric - certainly if Kobayashi doesn't solidly beat Perez I don't think he's going from Sauber too quickly.

Fortunately for Kobayashi qualifying counts less in modern (2011) F1 than it did in the past and his qualifying results don't really seem to have much effect on his overall race results.


OUCH! If he reminds you of JPM then Kobayashi is in trouble.

Sure, JPM was a fearless passer, but he was an inconsistent mess who I think could have won the drivers title at least once.
I hope Kobayashi ends up better than JPM, although I don't think he can win the WDC.

Leaving driving characteristics aside, Montoya achieved 7 wins in his career, so I think it would be quite a good career if Kobayashi reached that far. But JPM also had the luxury of spending the whole of his F1 career in top teams - let's see if Kamui can get close to that many good opportunities.

[Cooper_S]

JPM also had the misfortune to be in F1 when Ferrari/Schumacher were in their purple patch... I miss Juan Pablo.

[DexDexter]

JPM also had the misfortune to be in F1 when Ferrari/Schumacher were in their purple patch... I miss Juan Pablo.

What's there to miss? Montoya had a top car for his whole career and won some races and crashed some. Good driver but not a memorable one. These new heroes are better, more committed and in better physical shape. Talking about Kobayashi, to me he is getting better and better and is by far the best Japanese driver we've ever seen.

[Cooper_S]

Talking about Kobayashi, to me he is getting better and better and is by far the best Japanese driver we've ever seen.

I recall an expression that goes along the lines of... In the land of the blind the one eyed man is King...

Long live King Kobayashi

[steveaki13]

Kobayashi is the best Japanese driver yet, mind you the rest weren't great with exception of Sato, he was OK. Not great just OK.

K. Nakajima 2007-2009 36GPs
Sato 2002-2008 93GPs
Yamamoto 2006-2010 21GPs
Ide 2006 4GPs
Takagi 1998-1999 32GPs
Nakano 1997-1998 33GPs
Inoue 1994-1995 18GPs
Noda 1994 3GPs
T. Suzuki 1993 2GPs
Hattori 1992 2GPs (0 Starts)
Katayama 1992-1997 97GPs
S. Nakajima 1987-1991 80 GPs
A. Suzuki 1988-1995 88GPs
Takahara 1976-77 2GPs
Takahashi 1977 1GP
Kuwashima 1976 1 GP
Hasemi 1976 1 GP
Hoshino 1975-1976 2 GPs
Fushida 1975 2 GPs

[N. Jones]

Fortunately for Kobayashi qualifying counts less in modern (2011) F1 than it did in the past and his qualifying results don't really seem to have much effect on his overall race results.



Leaving driving characteristics aside, Montoya achieved 7 wins in his career, so I think it would be quite a good career if Kobayashi reached that far. But JPM also had the luxury of spending the whole of his F1 career in top teams - let's see if Kamui can get close to that many good opportunities.

I can agree with that. I am just saying that JPM could have been so much more had he been consistent....

[N. Jones]

JPM also had the misfortune to be in F1 when Ferrari/Schumacher were in their purple patch... I miss Juan Pablo.
Juan was leading the championship in 2003 (he and Ralf were winning races in the middle of the season and for a while they looked unbeatable) and lost the lead.
So even though Chewbacca and Ferrari were tops they were vulnerable in '03.

[Rollo]

Kobayashi is the best Japanese driver yet, mind you the rest weren't great with exception of Sato, he was OK. Not great just OK.

S. Nakajima 1987-1991 80 GPs


Nakajima was blessed with having unreliable cars including as Piquet said of the Lotus 100T: "Perhaps one of the more disappointing cars I drove"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tI1eF1_LZs

If Nakajima had followed the Honda engines to McLaren instead of Senna, then his career might have panned out differently. I also wonder what would have happened to Honda had they entered in 1993... probably not much.

[Malbec]

Yes, Kamui's (slight?) problem might be that he is not part of anyone's junior programme. He was part of Toyota, but they pulled out. I think he was actually a bit fortunate that he managed to step into F1 juuust right before the exit of Toyota, without that his career would have ended completely without getting noticed and only Toyota people would have known, how good he is (based on tests, simulator, etc).

Anyway... It seems like a common view that Ricciardo/Vergne are the future of RBR, di Resta and Hülkenberg are now both related to Mercedes, Ferrari has its own drivers as well as Renault/Genii/Lotus, etc. His main hope is that the drivers of those programmes turn out not to be good enough (meaning: he has to beat Pérez or whoever is paired with him), so he can convince that he is a better long-term bet than any of their own men.

Current rumours are that Kobayashi is due to replace Webber for the second seat at RBR. Vettel was even asked directly in an interview on formula1.com about how he felt about having Kobayashi as a teammate. It would make sense for RBR to sign him to replace Webber as none of the other Red Bull junior drivers are good enough or have enough experience and the better rookies are already signed up, mainly to Mercedes.

Perez has strong Ferrari backing and if he proves himself decently quick might end up replacing Massa. He's in the Ferrari junior drivers project and has significant Mexican backing too.

So far though, Monaco apart I see little to suggest Perez has serious pace. Even in Monaco watching his qualifying he was so ragged he looked like an accident waiting to happen which sadly ended up being the case. I hope he improves, he needs to.

[wedge]

If Nakajima had followed the Honda engines to McLaren instead of Senna, then his career might have panned out differently.

The likelihood would have been zilch.

[Garry Walker]

Current rumours are that Kobayashi is due to replace Webber for the second seat at RBR.

Do you have a source for that?

[gids73]

Infiniti???

I heard a rumour he was going to replace Massa...

[555-04Q2]

Current rumours are that Kobayashi is due to replace Webber for the second seat at RBR.

I heard he was going to replace Vettel.

[SGWilko]

I heard he was going to replace Vettel.

I'm not surprised - Seb failed to win ALL races thus far. Very poor show.... ;)

[555-04Q2]

I'm not surprised - Seb failed to win ALL races thus far. Very poor show.... ;)

Indeed. He is getting off lightly if he is only replaced. He should actually be shot :p :

[Malbec]

Do you have a source for that?

No, thats why its a rumour ;)

[airshifter]

Kobayashi is just what F1 needs this days, someone with some guts and the heart of a racer. Granted we have a few already in the field, but years of maturing have often limited their aggressive nature on the track. Kobayashi has been sticking moves and making passes in places where nobody else even thinks about it.

I hope he sticks around long enough to get in a better team. He's getting points finishes now, and he would be a terror in a top car IMO.

[Garry Walker]

Kobayashi is just what F1 needs this days, someone with some guts and the heart of a racer. Granted we have a few already in the field, but years of maturing have often limited their aggressive nature on the track. Kobayashi has been sticking moves and making passes in places where nobody else even thinks about it.

I hope he sticks around long enough to get in a better team. He's getting points finishes now, and he would be a terror in a top car IMO.
Haven`t you heard? Being a racer and going for moves is considered bad these days by "fans", because they might lead to a collision. These "fans" want to see real racing where one car always follows another and never ever attempts anything risky, because this might be followed by a collision.

[airshifter]

Haven`t you heard? Being a racer and going for moves is considered bad these days by "fans", because they might lead to a collision. These "fans" want to see real racing where one car always follows another and never ever attempts anything risky, because this might be followed by a collision.

I think that's the same group of people that claims DRS makes for artificial racing, yet there were ok with KERS and the F-Duct (which essentially did almost the same as DRS). I'm sure some of them will call for race bans on Kobayashi soon.

[Koz]

I think that's the same group of people that claims DRS makes for artificial racing, yet there were ok with KERS and the F-Duct (which essentially did almost the same as DRS).

Although I detest the idea of KERS and the sillyness of the F-Duct... I am curious how you can compare them to DRS?

DRS, unlike KERS and the fduck is debilitating because of the restrictions regarding WHO can use it and more importantly WHEN. It's an unfair advantage to the perusing cars. While KERS and the fduck didn't not have suck restrictions making it an even playing field...


I'm sure some of them will call for race bans on Kobayashi soon.

Well, we have known his racing was dangerous and unacceptable ever since his first race... Ask that year's world champion :D

[DexDexter]

Virtually all of the previous Japanese drivers in F1 had a similar sort of a "go for a gap that isn't there" type of attitude. The difference between Kobayashi and his predecessors is that he seems to have better judgement and gets away with those moves more often than not without hitting people.