Kobayashi

Yannick · Post by **Yannick** » 27 Oct 2009, 14:34

It doesn't surprise me that Glock wasn't cleared to drive for this weekend, given his vertebra injury. It's better for him to heal properly than get into the car prematurely.

I'm actually looking forward to another good performance from Kobayashi now and I hope he can make a positive enough impression that his team keep him in the race seat for next season.

John Howett does not sound too enthusiastic when asked about this perspective, saying things like he "must also be considered for a seat now". I get the impression every other team boss would be happy if a driver from their young drivers programme showed surprisingly good results.

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 27 Oct 2009, 14:37

Yannick wrote:John Howett does not sound too enthusiastic when asked about this perspective, saying things like he "must also be considered for a seat now". I get the impression every other team boss would be happy if a driver from their young drivers programme showed surprisingly good results.

The reason for this must be that he's eying two other drivers and didn't account for Kobayashi in his next year mental lineup...

Jordan192 · Post by **Jordan192** » 27 Oct 2009, 15:38

Yannick wrote:John Howett does not sound too enthusiastic when asked about this perspective, saying things like he "must also be considered for a seat now". I get the impression every other team boss would be happy if a driver from their young drivers programme showed surprisingly good results.

He's sulking. He didn't rate him, got pressured from above at Toyota to take him on, and they've been (so far, at least) proved right.
I would have thought he'd be far happier about too, not so much from a driver development point of view, but from the point of view that if his superiors at Toyota are happy, they're more likely to sign his budget off next year.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 27 Oct 2009, 19:11

Waris wrote:
Yannick wrote:John Howett does not sound too enthusiastic when asked about this perspective, saying things like he "must also be considered for a seat now". I get the impression every other team boss would be happy if a driver from their young drivers programme showed surprisingly good results.

The reason for this must be that he's eying two other drivers and didn't account for Kobayashi in his next year mental lineup...

Those two drivers would be Kimi Raikkonen and Jarno Trulli. He's admitted both have been offered contracts for next year already.

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 27 Oct 2009, 20:23

kostas22 wrote:
Waris wrote:
Yannick wrote:John Howett does not sound too enthusiastic when asked about this perspective, saying things like he "must also be considered for a seat now". I get the impression every other team boss would be happy if a driver from their young drivers programme showed surprisingly good results.

The reason for this must be that he's eying two other drivers and didn't account for Kobayashi in his next year mental lineup...

Those two drivers would be Kimi Raikkonen and Jarno Trulli. He's admitted both have been offered contracts for next year already.

So if Trulli goes to Lotus as per the latest rumors, he might want to go with Räikkönen and Kobayashi? Though, I don't think Räikkönen wants to go to Toyota, unless they pay him a giant check and/or build a winning car. So if Toyota mis-manages this, they might end up with Kobayashi and Nakajima next year... that would be the ultimate kamikaze team! Well, at least it'd make Toyota less boring...

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 27 Oct 2009, 22:33

Waris wrote:
Waris wrote:
Yannick wrote:John Howett does not sound too enthusiastic when asked about this perspective, saying things like he "must also be considered for a seat now". I get the impression every other team boss would be happy if a driver from their young drivers programme showed surprisingly good results.

The reason for this must be that he's eying two other drivers and didn't account for Kobayashi in his next year mental lineup...

So if Trulli goes to Lotus as per the latest rumors, he might want to go with Räikkönen and Kobayashi? Though, I don't think Räikkönen wants to go to Toyota, unless they pay him a giant check and/or build a winning car. So if Toyota mis-manages this, they might end up with Kobayashi and Nakajima next year... that would be the ultimate kamikaze team! Well, at least it'd make Toyota less boring...

Rather have Taku and Cowboyashi please!

FullMetalJack · Post by **FullMetalJack** » 27 Oct 2009, 22:42

The only upside for Glock in all this is that he hasn't had a single retirement this season. I'm glad to see Kobayashi get another chance though. Toyota have been less boring, I hope Kobayashi gets a Toyota race seat for 2010.

Collieafc · Post by **Collieafc** » 28 Oct 2009, 20:41

Kobayashi on a street circuit could be very interesting... I can just picture a queue of drivers complaining because he is actually trying to defend and attack!

LionZoo · Post by **LionZoo** » 02 Nov 2009, 00:58

Yannick wrote:I'm actually looking forward to another good performance from Kobayashi now and I hope he can make a positive enough impression that his team keep him in the race seat for next season.

John Howett does not sound too enthusiastic when asked about this perspective, saying things like he "must also be considered for a seat now". I get the impression every other team boss would be happy if a driver from their young drivers programme showed surprisingly good results.

I wonder what John Howett thinks of his drive in Abu Dhabi.

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 02 Nov 2009, 02:07

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79960

SUCCESS!

Henrique · Post by **Henrique** » 02 Nov 2009, 02:54

thehemogoblin wrote:http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79960

SUCCESS!

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 02 Nov 2009, 13:03

Fantastic; he really deserved it, it was impressive in Brazil and stellar in Abu Dhabi, and it's a very gutsy driver, which is exactly what F1 needs nowadays.

razta · Post by **razta** » 02 Nov 2009, 13:05

Phoenix wrote:Fantastic; he really deserved it, it was impressive in Brazil and stellar in Abu Dhabi, and it's a very gutsy driver, which is exactly what F1 needs nowadays.

exactly, someone with balls to do some ballsy maneuvers whilst all the other drivers complain about "Dirty Air" etc.

fjackdaw · Post by **fjackdaw** » 02 Nov 2009, 14:50

razta wrote:
Phoenix wrote:Fantastic; he really deserved it, it was impressive in Brazil and stellar in Abu Dhabi, and it's a very gutsy driver, which is exactly what F1 needs nowadays.

exactly, someone with balls to do some ballsy maneuvers whilst all the other drivers complain about "Dirty Air" etc.

Or "Dirty Ear" if they're Martin Brundle.

Rather bizarrely, Kobayashi's story has ended up on the main news section of yahoo.co.uk (you might need to go to the bottom right and click on the original page layout toggle to see this miracle of the modern world). For those of you unable to find it, here are Yahoo's UK headlines for November 2 2009:

* Afghan election run-off cancelled
* Many more could quit in drugs row
* Parts of UK on flood alert
* Is Wayne Rooney a dad yet?
* Sir Elton John 'fine' despite E.coli and flu
* Mother sentenced for hiding terror files in burka
* Crackdown on school place 'fraud'
* I could have been making sushi, says Kobayashi
* Wright dismisses My Fair Lady reports
* Hilton's Halloween horror

Todays hot celebs: Elton John, Wayne Rooney, Paris Hilton and Kamui Kobayashi.

fjackdaw · Post by **fjackdaw** » 02 Nov 2009, 14:50

razta wrote:
Phoenix wrote:Fantastic; he really deserved it, it was impressive in Brazil and stellar in Abu Dhabi, and it's a very gutsy driver, which is exactly what F1 needs nowadays.

exactly, someone with balls to do some ballsy maneuvers whilst all the other drivers complain about "Dirty Air" etc.

Or "Dirty Ear" if they're Martin Brundle.

Rather bizarrely, Kobayashi's story has ended up on the main news section of yahoo.co.uk (you might need to go to the bottom right and click on the original page layout toggle to see this miracle of the modern world). For those of you unable to find it, here are Yahoo's UK headlines for November 2 2009:

* Afghan election run-off cancelled
* Many more could quit in drugs row
* Parts of UK on flood alert
* Is Wayne Rooney a dad yet?
* Sir Elton John 'fine' despite E.coli and flu
* Mother sentenced for hiding terror files in burka
* Crackdown on school place 'fraud'
* I could have been making sushi, says Kobayashi
* Wright dismisses My Fair Lady reports
* Hilton's Halloween horror

Todays hot celebs: Elton John, Wayne Rooney, Paris Hilton and Kamui Kobayashi.

EDIT: It's all changed again now, but just for a moment he was up there...

RejectSteve · Post by **RejectSteve** » 02 Nov 2009, 19:55

Howett is spot on about Kobayashi's fighting spirit and he was fairly sane this time around. You have to love it, in his second grand prix with no testing all year, he took it to the new world champion and pulled a brilliant maneuver for the pass. Good on ya, Kamui!

noisebox · Post by **noisebox** » 02 Nov 2009, 20:01

After a somewhat erratic drive in Brazil I thought he was exceptional yesterday. It should be noted that he is the only driver who has managed to get up to speed quickly in the 2009 spec cars. Impressive stuff.

jonnyeol · Post by **jonnyeol** » 02 Nov 2009, 21:02

There seems to be this thing about Japanese Drivers, where you never know when they're going to go The Way Of The Samurai and when they're going to go The Way Of The Kamikaze. Sato and Katayama were the best exemplars of that approach. Until Kobayashi came along. The first time I've found Toyota remote interesting. Hope he stays next year. He's a rough diamond, but he's exactly what that team needs.

watka · Post by **watka** » 04 Nov 2009, 22:01

So what now? :cry:

Henrique · Post by **Henrique** » 04 Nov 2009, 22:14

watka wrote:So what now?

We'll just have to cross our fingers really hard and hope some other team picks him up. Damn, one of those new ones has to be interested.

ferret · Post by **ferret** » 04 Nov 2009, 22:17

Henrique wrote:
watka wrote:So what now?

We'll just have to cross our fingers really hard and hope some other team picks him up. Damn, one of those new ones has to be interested.

Get rid of Liuzzi and put in Kobayashi

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 05 Nov 2009, 00:36

Maybe Howett was saying that Kobayashi had raced his way into a drive so that Toyota would have rethought axing the F1 team.

Paul Hayes · Post by **Paul Hayes** » 05 Nov 2009, 09:09

thehemogoblin wrote:Maybe Howett was saying that Kobayashi had raced his way into a drive so that Toyota would have rethought axing the F1 team.

It does seem increasingly like throwing him into the fray was a last throw of the dice to try and save the team.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 05 Nov 2009, 10:24

Makes the following article on the autosport website just a few days ago, on the day after the Abu Dhabi GP, rather ironic. Back to the sushi restaurant Kamui.... (unless some of the new teams make it...)

Kamui Kobayashi may be set to land a race seat at Toyota for 2010, but he has revealed that just a few weeks ago he thought his future was going to be making sushi at his father's restaurant in Japan.

The Japanese driver has made a big impression in his two race outings for Toyota - scoring points in Abu Dhabi and showing the world he is not afraid to fight with the big stars after overtaking world champion Jenson Button.

And although his speed has now made it almost certain Toyota will keep him in the car for next year, Kobayashi has said that were it not for the opportunity offered to him by Timo Glock's absence, he would likely have been forced to turn his back on racing because of a lack of finances.

When asked that if there had been no F1 chance for next year would he have returned to GP2, Kobayashi said: "No, no, no. I have no budget, no budget. So I cannot drive GP2 for next year.

"I would probably go back to Japan to maybe work with my father in his sushi restaurant! It was like that two months ago, seriously. When I was 16 years old, I worked there - making sushi!"

Kobayashi has said he knew that, after a disappointing campaign in GP2 this year, he needed to impress in his two race outings for Toyota.

"That was why for two weeks I was always in Germany [at Toyota's factory]," he said. "I came back to my home for just one day. Then I was in Germany for briefings. At that moment, I didn't know if I would be able to drive – but in case I was driving I knew I had one chance to show what I could do.

"So I had to think, I had to organise it before and understand what was happening. I had to do everything to understand what the problems were in Interlagos, and if I had the chance – everything, tyre work, car set-up, I worked on."

Although Toyota F1 president John Howett has said it 'looks like' Kobayashi will get one of the team's race drives in 2010, the man himself says he has been told nothing yet about the future plans.

"I don't know," he said about the future. "I have tried to be a Toyota driver for next year, but I didn't know how much I could show before. I just had to do the best at each moment – and it seems to have finally worked well. Still I have many things to do – I have to improve qualifying, and I need time. But in the last two weeks they have been quite good for me."

He added: "The future for me, I cannot decide. Of course I have got more chance, but I cannot decide for next year – so I am waiting for a long winter and we will see.

"I haven't signed anything. Of course, I still only have Toyota possibility because I am a Toyota young driver. But I don't want to believe so much. If I have to drive, I will drive and do what I have to do. I will prepare for next year to drive, but I cannot say anything about next year yet because it is not my decision."

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 05 Nov 2009, 14:12

dr-baker wrote:Makes the following article on the autosport website just a few days ago, on the day after the Abu Dhabi GP, rather ironic. Back to the sushi restaurant Kamui.... (unless some of the new teams make it...)

Kamui Kobayashi may be set to land a race seat at Toyota for 2010, but he has revealed that just a few weeks ago he thought his future was going to be making sushi at his father's restaurant in Japan.

The Japanese driver has made a big impression in his two race outings for Toyota - scoring points in Abu Dhabi and showing the world he is not afraid to fight with the big stars after overtaking world champion Jenson Button.

And although his speed has now made it almost certain Toyota will keep him in the car for next year, Kobayashi has said that were it not for the opportunity offered to him by Timo Glock's absence, he would likely have been forced to turn his back on racing because of a lack of finances.

When asked that if there had been no F1 chance for next year would he have returned to GP2, Kobayashi said: "No, no, no. I have no budget, no budget. So I cannot drive GP2 for next year.

"I would probably go back to Japan to maybe work with my father in his sushi restaurant! It was like that two months ago, seriously. When I was 16 years old, I worked there - making sushi!"

Kobayashi has said he knew that, after a disappointing campaign in GP2 this year, he needed to impress in his two race outings for Toyota.

"That was why for two weeks I was always in Germany [at Toyota's factory]," he said. "I came back to my home for just one day. Then I was in Germany for briefings. At that moment, I didn't know if I would be able to drive – but in case I was driving I knew I had one chance to show what I could do.

"So I had to think, I had to organise it before and understand what was happening. I had to do everything to understand what the problems were in Interlagos, and if I had the chance – everything, tyre work, car set-up, I worked on."

Although Toyota F1 president John Howett has said it 'looks like' Kobayashi will get one of the team's race drives in 2010, the man himself says he has been told nothing yet about the future plans.

"I don't know," he said about the future. "I have tried to be a Toyota driver for next year, but I didn't know how much I could show before. I just had to do the best at each moment – and it seems to have finally worked well. Still I have many things to do – I have to improve qualifying, and I need time. But in the last two weeks they have been quite good for me."

He added: "The future for me, I cannot decide. Of course I have got more chance, but I cannot decide for next year – so I am waiting for a long winter and we will see.

"I haven't signed anything. Of course, I still only have Toyota possibility because I am a Toyota young driver. But I don't want to believe so much. If I have to drive, I will drive and do what I have to do. I will prepare for next year to drive, but I cannot say anything about next year yet because it is not my decision."

Why is fate so cruel? :cry:

Kobacrashi · Post by **Kobacrashi** » 07 Nov 2009, 10:04

Why oh why have toyota ruined it. They supplied us with a new Banzai-Master. He truly was the best thing to come from Japan Since sliced Sushi.
Please say he can get a drive. He even made me like toyota a little which i thought was impossible.
Oh well.
Heres to hoping the Kobayashi band wagon somehow roles on.

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 07 Nov 2009, 10:41

Kobacrashi - you really need to change your sig.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 07 Nov 2009, 11:41

Apparently Toyota are helping him and Nakajima try to find jobs for next season. I've heard that Kobayashi is eying Lotus, as well.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 07 Nov 2009, 11:43

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Apparently Toyota are helping him and Nakajima try to find jobs for next season. I've heard that Kobayashi is eying Lotus, as well.

Yep, but he clearly hasn't spoken to Mike Gascoyne, who said he wants two experienced drivers.

But Kobayashi is expereienced, sort of...hire him please?

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 07 Nov 2009, 12:05

Don't worry, I read that Lotus is interested in Takuma Sato, which is experienced. It's not Kobayashi, but well...

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 07 Nov 2009, 12:11

Phoenix wrote:Don't worry, I read that Lotus is interested in Takuma Sato, which is experienced. It's not Kobayashi, but well...

Some bansai Japanese F1 pilot >>>> no bansai Japanese F1 pilot

Henrique · Post by **Henrique** » 07 Nov 2009, 12:23

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/11/06/toyota-assisted-kobayashi-eyeing-lotus-seat/

watka · Post by **watka** » 07 Nov 2009, 15:02

Henrique wrote:http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/11/06/toyota-assisted-kobayashi-eyeing-lotus-seat/

Directly below it says Lotus are looking for experienced drivers. I don't see them taking on Kobayashi unfortunately. Any team is better than no team for him though because he's got no budget and has nothing to lose.

Many Blue Flags · Post by **Many Blue Flags** » 08 Nov 2009, 12:27

Just a thought, as it's a matter of discussion over at F1onboard forums - does anyone know which sushi restaurant that Mr Kobayashi owns? It'd be a good chance to get his autograph.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 08 Nov 2009, 13:00

Many Blue Flags wrote:Just a thought, as it's a matter of discussion over at F1onboard forums - does anyone know which sushi restaurant that Mr Kobayashi owns? It'd be a good chance to get his autograph.

...and to hear your waiter/chef to complain that, "Yeah, I used to be an F1 driver once. AND I overtook the world champion...."

Kobacrashi · Post by **Kobacrashi** » 08 Nov 2009, 19:33

Hope he gets a drive, although he is still a reject and would be a great addition to the website.

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 09 Nov 2009, 11:13

That interview reveals something interesting: Kobayashi was driving really well in those two races, partly because he had to. He was driving for his life, so to speak. I've always liked the "in-a-hurry"/"man-on-a-mission" style of driving. Rubens Barrichello's qualifying at Interlagos seemed like a man on a mission as well. If his race wouldn't have failed, I'm sure he would have been World Champion. By the way, I noticed that when I'm in a hurry, I drive epically through traffic (on a bicycle, but still).
Having said this, I think drivers should always be signed to contracts for only one year or even less, so they do their very best to prove themselves because they HAVE to.

watka · Post by **watka** » 09 Nov 2009, 13:21

I hope Kobayashi's career doesn't end up being like Kuwashima's.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 09 Nov 2009, 16:51

watka wrote:I hope Kobayashi's career doesn't end up being like Kuwashima's.

What, like being involved in a website dedicated to the rejects in the sport in which he himself was a reject? :lol: