Kobayashi aims for zero mistakes in 2011
2010 F1 season
Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, Abu Dhabi, 2010
Kamui Kobayashi says he’s hoping to build on his 2010 campaign with an error-free 2011 season.
Sauber published the following Q&A with the Japanese driver:
How would you summarise your season?
Kamui Kobayashi: We had a lot of ups and downs, but overall we had a good season. In the beginning we were struggling a lot. This was a pretty bad time. It was hard, and it was very difficult to recover from this situation during the season, because nowadays there is no testing. Despite this, towards the end of the season we were much stronger. The team did a great job to recover from this and I want to thank them for all their work.
In which area did you improve the most?
KK: In every area. This is how it has to be, especially if you are a rookie.
What was the best moment of 2010 for you?
KK: I think I had an interesting race in Japan. It was a very nice moment for me and for the Japanese fans.
Which was the worst experience?
KK: That was when I crashed on the first lap of the Canadian Grand Prix.
What is your secret for overtaking?
KK: Because I am Japanese I have small eyes – so I can’t see the others guys.
…and seriously?
KK: If I feel I can overtake I just do it. That’s all, no secret.
What do you want to achieve in 2011?
KK: My personal aim is to make zero mistakes. For the team I hope we will have a good car, and be able to fight for points on a regular basis to improve our position in the championship.
What will you do in the winter break?
KK: I have some appointments in Japan and I will be returning to Abu Dhabi soon for the opening ceremony of the Ferrari World. I will also spend two weeks on holiday in Bali and, of course, I will be training. But in terms of fitness training, it helps that nowadays we have more time during the season to exercise because it is also very important to be able to do this consistently.
If you had a free wish – what would it be?
KK: This is an easy one to answer. In Japanese Mangas there is a kind of ‘where-do-you-want-to-go-to’ door. You decide where you would want to go, step through this special door and you are there. This would be a great thing to have – I could have a beautiful house anywhere in the world, maybe on a nice island, and sleep there every night!
Read more: Kamui Kobayashi biography
Image © BMW Sauber F1 Team
kazumi said on 24th November 2010, 9:15
future WDC :)
Your comment was a bit too short. Please go back and try again.SlittyEyesNo2 said on 24th November 2010, 17:59
if he gets the car, yes.
and i bloody hope he does :P
sumedh said on 24th November 2010, 9:20
I have small eyes!! Ha ha ha..
Hope to see him on the podium in the 2011 season. Reading his answers would make for an interesting press conference.
Hamish said on 24th November 2010, 9:23
What is your secret for overtaking?
KK: Because I am Japanese I have small eyes – so I can’t see the others guys.
Holy god, a personality. Haven’t seen one of them in F1 for a while.
Pinball said on 24th November 2010, 9:47
Kamui Kobayashi is fast becoming one of my favourite drivers, he’s a demon on the track, and he seems to have a great personality.
plushpile (@plushpile) said on 24th November 2010, 10:09
+1 for that!
I hope he finds himself in a winning car in a couple of years.
BasCB said on 24th November 2010, 11:29
I can only agree with that, personality next to the track, overtaking warrior on track. Keep it coming!
F1WithMySon said on 24th November 2010, 13:39
Agreed! He quickly became one of my favorites and I look forward to watching him next season. GO KAMUI!
Stefanauss said on 24th November 2010, 17:46
+1, me too.
The most entertaining driver on track this year for me.
Steve said on 24th November 2010, 11:30
Alonso has a personality… Thats why he is so hated :P
Dizzy-A (@david-a) said on 24th November 2010, 20:57
Yeah, but Kobi has a nice personality.
James_mc (@james_mc) said on 25th November 2010, 20:18
Hahaha! That made me laugh almost as much as the original article!
Andy W said on 24th November 2010, 15:22
That gave me a great laugh, Kobi seems as lively and interesting off the track as he is on it…
Would really love to see him on the podium and in the hunt for a championship (or 5)
Hairs said on 24th November 2010, 22:59
Absolutely.
+20 Kobayashi. Fast, skilful, funny, full of energy. Put him in a Red Bull after next year.
US_Peter (@us_peter) said on 24th November 2010, 23:56
Of course he’s got personality. He originally wanted to be a professional comedian.
ogamii (@ogamii) said on 24th November 2010, 10:09
Me too, been following him since his debut with Toyota, what a character.
Pink peril said on 24th November 2010, 10:27
Hahaha, that is one of the most hilarious comments from a driver I have heard in awhile. I hope to see and hear more from koby next year.
LewisC said on 24th November 2010, 10:32
There for the opening ceremony of Ferrari World eh…
I wonder if Massa’s seat might just have a Japanese occupant for the 2012 season…?
Butler258 said on 24th November 2010, 10:51
I would have a guess and say its more to do with the Ferrari engine in the back of the Sauber.
F1WithMySon said on 24th November 2010, 13:40
That would be so great.
wasiF1 said on 24th November 2010, 10:51
I miss Kimi a lot in F1 for sure if Kobayashi gets a good car under him I don’t think I will for too long.
FLIG said on 24th November 2010, 10:55
Kobayashi will kick some western ass soon.
Steve said on 24th November 2010, 11:32
Is he going to race in the US?
CarsVsChildren said on 24th November 2010, 11:38
This guy could of raced in the 70′s.
Charming, cavalier, funny, fast and dating a lingerie model.
You can tell he loves life.
A lot of Japanese people could learn from him!
Faraz said on 24th November 2010, 14:57
Who is he dating??
Red Andy (@red-andy) said on 24th November 2010, 11:56
He’s a funny guy. But I can’t agree that he improved all that much this season compared to the great races he had for Toyota. Spectacular, but still slow, especially in qualifying.
CarsVsChildren said on 24th November 2010, 12:23
You don’t think the car might have something to do with that?
The Toyota might not of have been very successful for the cash, but it was a very good F1 car.
This years Sauber on the other hand…
sato113 (@sato113) said on 24th November 2010, 17:22
how many times did he out-qualify his team mate?
RIISE (@riise) said on 24th November 2010, 12:25
Zero mistakes? Yeah right, he’s not that good. If he went to Ferrari he would get his ass handed to him every race no question from Alonso. Massa is a better driver than Kobayashi anyway.
Ronman said on 24th November 2010, 12:35
RIISE, your last comment there obviously doesn’t take into account how felipe was rubbish in his early year, and only showed promise once he had resided as a Ferrari Test Driver for a year….
Kobayashi is 10 times the Rookie Massa once was, and with the same amount of training and experience Koba has the possibility to be greater than many of his rivals, he just need to be in the right team, and if marketing gets in the way, Japanese drivers might not be very desirable in F1 high profile seats…unfortunately
RIISE (@riise) said on 24th November 2010, 12:39
I’m going to disagree, did you even watch F1 when Massa first joined? He pulled out some great results for Sauber.
Kobayashi won’t change, he’ll cause crashes and cost teams valuable points.
CarsVsChildren said on 24th November 2010, 13:02
He has already changed. After an erratic and often crazy start to the year he pulled his head in and only had one more accident in the second half of the season.
sato113 (@sato113) said on 24th November 2010, 17:26
@Carsvschildren
how was his start to 2010 crazy?
In Aus, a tiny hit meant his front wing got stuck underneath him causing that massive shunt.
Canada was his only big mistake.
al the other retirements in the first half were due to gearbox or engine failures.
CarsVsChildren said on 25th November 2010, 0:10
Sorry, poor compositional English!
I meant ‘crazy’ in the sense that the start to the year was crazy. Not that Kobayashi was crazy.
One minute it was him showing some amazing speed, other times he was involved in massive shunts, or retiring with car/engine trouble.
Dizzy-A (@david-a) said on 24th November 2010, 21:11
Kobi said that his personal aim is to make zero mistakes. A business will never have zero wastage, but that won’t stop them from trying minimising it.
Dizzy-A (@david-a) said on 24th November 2010, 21:11
From trying to minimise it.
Electrolite said on 25th November 2010, 0:49
Come on, that’s not fair. Alonso’s just finished his 10th season, and Kobayashi, bar two races, has done just one. And in that one season he’s impressed pretty much everyone and that’s leaps and bounds ahead of what the other’s have done. And yeah, there’s a chance Felipe is better than Kamui at the minute – he’s miles more experienced. Besides we don’t know anything until they’re both in the same car!
Don’t mean to have a go, it’s just a bit hard to come down on the kid and I think zero mistakes is a good target – why not?
LucaBadoerFan said on 24th November 2010, 12:31
and massa has been driving in formula 1 for how many years? exactly.
SloF1 said on 24th November 2010, 12:42
Massa is better in playing second driver. Kobayashi is siutable fol no.1, and I believe in future he will eat Alonso.
US_Peter (@us_peter) said on 25th November 2010, 0:06
I hope so.
James_mc (@james_mc) said on 25th November 2010, 20:20
I’m sorry, I have just had a rather amusing mental image of various bits of Alonso being served up on a sushi-bar-esque conveyor belt! :-D
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner) said on 24th November 2010, 13:17
Always a pleasure to watch and i’m really looking forward to watching him progress.
Frans said on 24th November 2010, 13:57
Btw, in case someone doesn’t know what manga/comic the ‘where-do-you-want-to-go-to’ door comes from, it’s from Doraemon. It’s one of the classic manga. The animated version (anime) is still ongoing and already reached 2000+ episode.