Kamui Kobayashi

Of all the drivers in the Formula One fraternity, Kamui Kobayashi (小林 可夢偉) seems to be one of the most difficult to work out.

Formula One fans love watching him, and he's famed for overtaking, but he does less overtaking than many drivers out on the field. He's rarely been defensively punchy other than his début in Brazil in 2009.

His GP2 record is less than exceptional. He would never have got into Formula One if he was a different nationality.

I think Kobayashi must be praised, but not for the usual reasons. What is outstanding is that given the opportunity, he picks up points. He did so at Abu Dhabi in 2009, for much of the latter half of 2010 and his run of points scores in 2011 (not counting his dsq in Australia) was longer than anyone's bar Button, Webber and Vettel. Excellent strategic decisions from his advisors in Spa and Valencia in 2010 and in Monaco and Canada in 2011 have seen excellent finishes.

Martin Brundle's favourite word when referring to Kobayashi is the typical "banzai", which refers to punchy Japanese drivers. I would argue that Kobayashi is less banzai than some of his less than illustrious predecessors, and thus more able to finish Grands Prix, and well placed to become the best driver that Grand Prix racing Japan has ever produced.

 

[cider_and_toast]

That maybe true Road of Bones but a driver has to take his chance when he gets it. It dosn't matter if you are talking about someone who is normally at the front of the grid or someone who is at the back. The real trick is to seize the day.

 

[teabagyokel]

Road of Bones - That's sometimes your reward for qualifying and starting well, you tend to avoid fracas. When he didn't start well from the front row at Spa he got mullered.

 

[Brogan]

Kobayashi apparently needs to find sponsorship if he wants a drive next year.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/103280

 

[RasputinLives]

Can Clip The Apex chuck in a few quid?

 

[Brogan]

Why?
He hasn't exactly stood out this year.

 

[The Pits]

Besides, our funds are tied up in trying to lure Taki Inoue to write a guest article.

 

[RasputinLives]

Why?
He hasn't exactly stood out this year.

You think? once again I point out the fact he's been pretty much on par with super Sergio.

 

[Slyboogy]

Kobayashi's podium finish in Suzuka may have pulled back the points deficit and given the Japanese his first notch on the 'wow-o-meter', but more than that it has given us cause to scrape a little deeper when it comes to analysing how he and Perez have stacked up this year.

For, if you were to play devil's advocate in this situation, you could argue that Perez's success this year has been as much down to right place/right time as out-and-out ability. Just look at their qualifying record: a good indicator of overall speed. It's 9-6 in Kobayashi's favour.

In Malaysia, the Sauber was pretty brutal on its tyres – which had caused it and Ferrari a troubled time in practice and qualifying trying to find a means of not overheating its rubber. Things did not look good.

But what had been a bummer in the dry proved a bonus in the wet, and a good strategy call and an ability to get instant heat into the intermediate tyres helped Alonso and Perez run away with it.

The foundations of Perez's other podiums have also come from a tyre advantage, and it's one he has been able to enjoy because he did not do as good a job as Kobayashi in qualifying.

In Canada and Monza, Perez was able to get himself on to the right tyre strategy because he had failed to qualify in front of his team-mate. That left him keener to try and do something different, and at Monza his team-mate had no option but to start on the option tyres because had qualified in the top 10.

Perez thus found himself in the Italian GP as the only man on the right tyre strategy on an afternoon when everyone else was on the wrong one…

- Jonathon Noble

"If you look at most of the podiums we had, he had the better qualifying," she said. "Through that, he has certain restraints on the tyres, on the strategy, and with the other car you can simply take a risk: and the risk worked out and paid off.

"So you have to be careful when you start comparing our drivers. I think he has been unlucky this year and it was about time he started being lucky."

- Moonisha Kaltenborn

 

[teabagyokel]

My Team-Mate Prediction system puts Perez behind.

 

[F1Yorkshire]

Looks like Koby-san is out of a seat next season,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19940929

 

[Brogan]

That doesn't surprise me in the slightest and I have said as much several times.
He really has gone backwards this year.

 

[teabagyokel]

Brogan - Seems rather unfair considering a team-mate who's hardly overshadowed him has secured a plum drive.

 

[Brogan]

I think that was just a case of one of the only half decent drivers who was available on McLaren's part.

 

[teabagyokel]

I dunno, they've chosen him ahead of the Force India boys at least.

 

[Il_leone]

Kamui has gone backwards

Yes he's outqualified Perez 9-6 but he seems to go backwards in the race which matters more

Did Perez luck into his 3 podiums as someone pointed out ? Hard to say because not every driver starting out of position has used it to their advantage

Well the Sauber is better this year and surely Kamui should have kicked on and grabbed more points

 

[Brogan]

I dunno, they've chosen him ahead of the Force India boys at least.

That's hardly a glowing testimonial.

 

[teabagyokel]

Brogan - well, you never know.

 

[Il_leone]

traditionally Sauber have always played the game to grab minor points and that has been usually to do a different strategy like go long on one set of tyres and hopefully last before changing

This season their expectations have gone higher now in that
i) the tyres are controlled by Pirelli not a team as it were in the past
ii) they appear to have much more resources thanks for the funding from Telmex to maintain development

Perez's stunning result in Sepang showed the team that they should aim higher than minor placings

I felt Kamui has not been able to step when expected along with the car

Another part is probably to do with sponsors and partners - Telmex and Ferrari which does not help his chances if he did not beat Perez

You have to look at it as 3 years in the same team he aint going to develop further ... he will be just do a Heidfeld

 

[RasputinLives]

People's views on Kamui are strange. how can a driver who's scored his two highest results in the last seven races be on the wane? He's got double the amount of points he got last year and pretty much kept up with 'super Sergio'. Odd.

F1 will be worse off for lack of him and certainly the Japanese GP will be less of an event.

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives

Do you think Sergio has been extremely lucky with his 3 podiums then compared to Kamui?

The car is clearly better than last year but the results have not been there for Kamui consistently

I do believe Ferrari and Telmex are behind the driver choice decisions for Sauber

Hulkenberg - Ferrari bound a few weeks ago might be asked to prove himself before being promoted to the main team to show its no one season wonder

Gutierrez - clearly being Mexican helps to keep Carlos Slim and Telmex happy