Kamui Kobayashi anticipates debut home race at Suzuka
With just a few weeks left before the famous Japanese Grand Prix roars onto the asphalt, drivers and teams are gearing up for what could be one of the most telling races of the 2010 Formula 1 season. But
while returning title contenders approach the event hoping to score crucial points, Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi is anticipating a more personal experience. The 24-year-old is set to race in his home country as an F1 driver for the first time.
In an interview conducted by Sauber’s press office, the young prodigy revealed his aspiration to succeed on his home circuit, a little about his family lifestyle, and driving for the most prestigious motor
racing franchise in history.
“Returning to race in Japan as a Formula One driver means a lot to me,” expressed Kobayashi. “For this year’s race a lot of supporters are going to be there. There has been a Kamui Kobayashi fans corner
set up between turns two and three. It has more than 2000 seats and has been sold out for quite a while. I managed to buy tickets for friends and I hope they will be having fun.”
Kobayashi’s last official race in Japan took place in 2003 with Formula Toyota on Suzuka’s short track, when the driver was 17. But this year, Kobayashi is justifiably expectant that his first time firing
up the engine on the Grand Prix track will be even more momentous, and a great potential for Sauber to perform up to par. This will come as a welcome redemption after Kobayashi’s poor result in Singapore, where he failed to defend his 10th qualifying grid
position and retired.
“After a good qualifying, the outcome of the race in Singapore was, of course, disappointing for me,” he admitted. “I hope in Suzuka we have reason to be happy on both Saturday and on Sunday. We all think
the circuit should suit our car pretty well.”
For a Japanese driver to race on the home front will also bring more publicity to the F1 franchise, which despite its immense popularity in Asia, has a long way to go before equaling the immense scale
of fanfare which Europe enjoys.
“[The difference] is huge,” Kobayashi observed. “I think this is because Europe has all the history in motor racing, [although] anyone who has attended a Japanese Formula One Grand Prix knows about the
excitement and passion the people have for it. But it is not easy for Japanese people to follow Formula One because the European races are broadcast live relatively late at night.”
But cultural and chronological differences are barely a hindrance to the racer, who stated that he never suffers from home sickness. “Of course it was strange when I first came to Europe,” he acknowledged,
“because I didn’t even speak English and everything was completely different. But it was also a lot of fun!”
Kobayashi has adjusted remarkably well to the fast-paced, hectic and pressured lifestyle of an F1 driver.
“This seems to be very difficult to understand for Europeans, but for Japanese it is not that unusual to leave your family and go to work elsewhere. Even when I was doing things in Japan I rarely met my
family. Most times I went to Tokyo and they still live in Amagasaki, which is close to Osaka and quite far away from Tokyo. I always like to stay somewhere nice, but it doesn’t really matter which country it is.”
But perhaps Alfred, Kobayashi’s little terrier who resides in Paris during his master’s absence, would disagree. “[But] I go and see him as much as I can,” the driver insisted.
Having recently signed a contract extension with Sauber (who has been greatly impressed by the talented youngster’s progress on the track this year), Kobayashi is ready to live the nomadic life. At least,
in comparison to what career path he may have taken, were it not for his prolific racing skills.
“I rather wanted to become a comedian,” he reflected. “But I found I wasn’t talented enough. My parents were not at all interested in racing. [My father] runs a Sushi delivery shop in Amagasaki. Most likely
if I hadn’t been quick in karting perhaps I would have become a sushi chef. But I hate raw fish.”
It was certainly the right decision for Kobayashi, who currently sits 12th in the driver’s championship standings, and is looking forward to a long and prospective career.
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