Kamui Kobayashi is a Japanese professional racing driver who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing and in the Super Formula Championship for KCMG as of 2021.
54 Facts About Kamui Kobayashi
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Kamui Kobayashi previously competed in Formula One, Formula E, the GP2 Series, and the GP2 Asia Series.
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Kamui Kobayashi is the Third FIA world champion from Japan after Toshi Arai and Kazuki Nakajima.
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Kamui Kobayashi won the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans driving for Toyota Gazoo Racing.
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Kamui Kobayashi began his career in motorsport in 1996 when he was nine years old, finishing third in his first season of karting in the SL Takarazuka Tournament Cadet Class.
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Kamui Kobayashi continued in the Formula Renault class, entering the Italian and European championships and with six wins in both championships, he won both titles.
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In 2006, Kamui Kobayashi entered the Formula 3 Euro Series with ASM Formule 3 alongside Paul di Resta, Giedo van der Garde and Sebastian Vettel.
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Kamui Kobayashi took three podium positions in his debut season, coming eighth in the Drivers' Championship and first in the Rookie's Championship.
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Kamui Kobayashi entered the Macau Grand Prix and the Masters of Formula 3, which are annual Formula Three events.
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Kamui Kobayashi started in 10th place and finished the race a place lower in 11th, while at the Macau Grand Prix, he started the race in pole position but finished in 19th place.
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Kamui Kobayashi stayed in the Euro Series for the upcoming season and had an impressive start, taking two podiums in the first four rounds.
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Kamui Kobayashi achieved his first race victory in Formula 3 at Magny-Cours, in the tenth round, a support race for the Formula One French Grand Prix.
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On November 16,2007, it was confirmed that Kamui Kobayashi would replace the departing Franck Montagny as the Toyota F1 team's third driver.
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Kamui Kobayashi was the team's test and reserve driver during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
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At the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix, Kamui Kobayashi competed in the first two free practice sessions in place of Timo Glock, who was ill.
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Kamui Kobayashi made his Formula One debut at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix, following a complication to Glock's injury that was initially not detected.
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Kamui Kobayashi finished the race in tenth place, and was later promoted to ninth when Heikki Kovalainen was penalised.
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Kamui Kobayashi competed in the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as Glock's injury had not healed sufficiently.
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Kamui Kobayashi's teammate was former McLaren tester Pedro de la Rosa.
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In China, Kamui Kobayashi was involved in a three-way collision with Buemi and Vitantonio Liuzzi on the first lap, making him the only driver to retire from the first four races.
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Kamui Kobayashi followed that with sixth place in Silverstone, eleventh in Germany, ninth in Hungary and eighth in Belgium.
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At the Italian Grand Prix, Kamui Kobayashi suffered a gearbox failure and retired from the Singapore Grand Prix after hitting a track-side barrier.
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Kamui Kobayashi's teammate changed in Singapore as Pedro de la Rosa was removed in favour of Nick Heidfeld.
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Kamui Kobayashi finished eighth in Korea and tenth in Brazil, eventually finishing the season with 32 points.
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Kamui Kobayashi gained a reputation during the season as a highly skilled overtaker, being able to outbrake drivers several car lengths in front of him.
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Kamui Kobayashi remained with Sauber in 2011, where he was partnered by GP2 graduate Sergio Perez.
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The next race of the season in Malaysia was another strong showing for Kamui Kobayashi, finishing eighth in the race, eventually classified seventh after Lewis Hamilton received a penalty.
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Kamui Kobayashi finished tenth in his next three races, before a career-high fifth place in an incident-packed Monaco Grand Prix.
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Kamui Kobayashi eventually finished seventh, 0.045 seconds behind Felipe Massa, who passed him on the final straight.
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On 28 July 2011, it was announced that Kamui Kobayashi would remain with Sauber into the 2012 season, alongside teammate Perez.
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Kamui Kobayashi started the season with sixth place at the Australian Grand Prix, and a retirement at the Malaysian Grand Prix, due to a problem with his car's brakes.
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Kamui Kobayashi then started third at the Chinese Grand Prix behind the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher.
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Kamui Kobayashi dropped to tenth but managed to set the fastest lap.
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Kamui Kobayashi finished in the points once in the next four races, finishing ninth in Canada.
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Kamui Kobayashi was the only one of the five to continue in the race, and finished thirteenth.
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Kamui Kobayashi took his maiden podium in Formula One with third place at the Japanese Grand Prix, after lasting through race-long pressure from Jenson Button.
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Kamui Kobayashi became the first Japanese driver to finish on a Formula One podium in Japan in 22 years, after Aguri Suzuki in the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, and was the third Japanese driver to finish on a Formula One podium after Suzuki and Takuma Sato in the 2004 United States Grand Prix.
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Kamui Kobayashi ultimately finished the season in twelfth place in the Drivers' Championship, with 60 points.
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On 11 March 2013 it was confirmed that Kamui Kobayashi would drive for AF Corse in the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship season.
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Kamui Kobayashi competed in the LMGTE-Pro class in the Ferrari 458 GT for what is expected to be all of the season's 8 rounds, including the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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Kamui Kobayashi tested a 2010 Formula One Ferrari in preparation for a promotional event in Moscow, where he crashed in the wet.
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At the first race of the season, the Australian Grand Prix, Kamui Kobayashi crashed into Massa at the start due to a brake failure.
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Kamui Kobayashi however finished the race in 13th, promoting Caterham to 10th in the Constructors' standings.
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Kamui Kobayashi returned to racing action at the Italian Grand Prix after Lotterer declined a further offer due to the seat being taken in practice by Roberto Merhi, who was attempting to qualify for an FIA Super Licence.
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Kamui Kobayashi declared his unhappiness at the situation, with the team's driver plans changing at short notice and his own future uncertain.
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On 30 January 2015, it was confirmed that Kamui Kobayashi would drive for Team LeMans in the 2015 Super Formula season.
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Kamui Kobayashi scored three podiums on his way to a fifth-place finish in the drivers' championship during his first year in the series.
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Kamui Kobayashi moved to KCMG at the start of the 2017 season.
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On 4 February 2016, Kamui Kobayashi was confirmed as a LMP1 driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
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Kamui Kobayashi scored his first WEC race victory at the 2016 6 Hours of Fuji, finishing ahead of the No 8 Audi and the No 1 Porsche.
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Kamui Kobayashi won the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans from pole after numerous attempts, alongside Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez.
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Kamui Kobayashi is the fourth Japanese driver to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the first being Masanori Sekiya, and is only the second to do so for a Japanese manufacturer.
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In December 2021, Toyota announced that Kamui Kobayashi would succeed Hisatake Murata as team principal of the manufacturer's WEC programme, combining the management position with his role as a driver for the team.
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Kamui Kobayashi was named after Kamuy, a divine being in Ainu mythology, and the letter of the name imitated the sound citing three Kanji from the sentence "Enabling great dream".