Kobayashi’s kart and Liuzzi’s special helmet for Japan
2011 Japanese GP Thursday pictures
Japan’s only F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi put on a show for fans at the track on Thursday as he took to the track in a box car built to look like his Sauber F1 racer.
Vitantonio Liuzzi also made a gesture to the Japanese fans, wearing a special helmet in memory of those who died in the tsunami earlier this year.
Here are pictures from Thursday at Suzuka.
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- Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, Suzuka, 2011
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- Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, Suzuka, 2011
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- Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, Suzuka, 2011
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- Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, Suzuka, 2011
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- Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, Suzuka, 2011
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- Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, Suzuka, 2011
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- Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Suzuka, 2011
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- Vitantonio Liuzzi, HRT, Suzuka, 2011
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- Vitantonio Liuzzi, HRT, Suzuka, 2011
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- Vitantonio Liuzzi, HRT, Suzuka, 2011
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- Vitantonio Liuzzi, HRT, Suzuka, 2011
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- Vitantonio Liuzzi, HRT, Suzuka, 2011
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- Force India, Suzuka, 2011
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- HRT, Suzuka, 2011
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- Heikki Kovalainen, Paul di Resta, Jerome D’Ambrosio, Jenson Button, Kamui Kobayashi, Sebastian Vettel, Suzuka, 2011
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- Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Suzuka, 2011
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- Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Suzuka, 2011
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- Jules Bianchi, Ferrari, Suzuka, 2011
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- Nico Hulkeberg, Adrian Sutil, Force India, Suzuka, 2011
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- Nico Hulkeberg, Adrian Sutil, Force India, Suzuka, 2011
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- Paul di Resta, Force India, Suzuka, 2011
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- Karun Chandhok, Lotus, Suzuka, 2011
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- Daniel Ricciardo, Vitantonio Liuzzi, HRT, Suzuka, 2011
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- Jarno Trulli, Lotus, Suzuka, 2011
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- Bruno Senna, Renault, Suzuka, 2011
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- Vitaly Petrov, Renault, Suzuka, 2011
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- Jarno Trulli, Lotus, Suzuka, 2011
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- Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus, Suzuka, 2011
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- Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso, Suzuka, 2011
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- Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, Suzuka, 2011
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- Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Suzuka, 2011
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- Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Suzuka, 2011
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- Vitantonio Liuzzi, HRT, Suzuka, 2011
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- Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus, Suzuka, 2011
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- Red Bull, Suzuka, 2011
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- Mark Webber, Red Bull, Suzuka, 2011
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- Mark Webber, Red Bull, Suzuka, 2011
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- Mark Webber, Red Bull, Suzuka, 2011
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- Bruno Senna, Renault, Suzuka, 2011
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- Vitaly Petrov, Renault, Suzuka, 2011
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- Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, Suzuka, 2011
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- Suzuka, 2011
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- Suzuka, 2011
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- Suzuka, 2011
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Images © Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo, Renault/LAT, Getty Images/Red Bull, Force India/Sutton, Sauber F1 Team, Team Lotus, Motioncompany
electrolite (@electrolite) said on 6th October 2011, 16:21
I love this.
F1andy83 said on 7th October 2011, 0:10
Anyone has videos of this?
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner) said on 7th October 2011, 7:41
@F1andy83 I guess the BBC will do a bit of a feature on Kobayashi so it will probably feature there.
ScuderiaVincero (@scuderiavincero) said on 6th October 2011, 16:23
That kart’s gonna put Formula One cars to shame :)
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) said on 6th October 2011, 16:24
@scuderiavincero I wonder if this counts as one of their straight-line aero test days?
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65) said on 6th October 2011, 16:26
Looks like last year’s HRT with a high nose!
ScuderiaVincero (@scuderiavincero) said on 6th October 2011, 16:36
@Keith Collantine Hahaha! Well it certainly wouldn’t be a young driver test :)
@Fer no.65 Which would you drive for a week, the kart, or the HRT? :P
MemorableC (@memorablec) said on 6th October 2011, 19:42
Its probably faster then last years hrt too
Ninad (@nin13) said on 6th October 2011, 18:10
We miss Sato!!
Amaury said on 6th October 2011, 18:37
I don’t…..
Dane. (@dane-1) said on 6th October 2011, 22:29
RBR’s Kart is way better…… http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/830/rb8z.jpg/
Stig 3 (@thestig94) said on 6th October 2011, 16:23
Great pictures!
Slr (@slr) said on 6th October 2011, 16:26
I want that kart.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65) said on 6th October 2011, 16:29
Nice to see Sauber doing something enviromentally friendly. That’s a proper green inline-4 engine.
BasCB (@bascb) said on 6th October 2011, 16:36
LOL
Bigbadderboom (@bigbadderboom) said on 6th October 2011, 16:49
Not sure that rear wings legal though ;)
Tyson Evans (@bobtehblob) said on 6th October 2011, 17:46
Rear wing they were running in Australia? ;)
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley) said on 6th October 2011, 16:38
The Sauber mechanics are all wearing @Magnificent-Geoffrey bandanas! :P
Steph (@) said on 6th October 2011, 16:48
Liuzii’s helmet is gorgeous
Kobayashi’s kart looks something like what a baby Stig would learn to drive in.
I’ve noticed Bianchi at Ferrari a lot which is understandable given that for a lot of the year the GP2 circus follows the bigger F1 circus about but he seems to be at home in the F1 spot-light which would be great if he was in F1 or had done something to prove he was deserving of a seat :P I’m just kidding as I actually am a big fan of Jules.
Dobin1000 (@dobin1000) said on 6th October 2011, 17:20
So @steph do you think he will replace Massa next year? ;-)
Steph (@) said on 6th October 2011, 17:21
@Dobin100 of course not. No-one ever will! ;)
NFS said on 6th October 2011, 18:10
Bianchi think most likely to drive for Ferrari in the future, personally would like Kobayashi in there but certainly not next year Steph forbid that :D
celeste (@celeste) said on 6th October 2011, 17:22
I don´t like Tonio´s helmet…
Here is Seb getting a Daruma as a gift… is really cool. Painted like his 2010 Japan´s helmet
http://tinyurl.com/3jedq2a
And here is his helmet desing for Japan
http://tinyurl.com/62ggkxr
daykind (@daykind) said on 6th October 2011, 19:37
I love Liuzzi’s! Gonna have a look at Seb’s now…
czhihong (@czhihong) said on 7th October 2011, 5:32
There’s a Chinese/Japanese character, 绊, written on it, interesting. It is short for 羁绊.
In Chinese, the term actually means hinder, obstacle, to trip up. Which is why I was surprised Vettel chose that character at first.
However, a quick search is telling me that when the Japanese adopted this term, the meaning was changed. In Japanese, it means strong “connections” or “relations” between two entities. That makes a lot more sense.
I seem to remember his helmet last year said “Gives you wings” in Japanese..
celeste (@celeste) said on 7th October 2011, 19:05
I think Red Bull site said that it read “Kizuna” (or something like that) that means “bonds”.
Tommo N7 (@tommothfc) said on 6th October 2011, 17:22
Sauber have bought some interesting updates for Japan I see ;)
And Liuzzi’s helmet looks quite nice :)
thedamntyres (@icemangrins) said on 6th October 2011, 17:31
Interesting, the force India and HRT team mascots directly represents how good they have performed this year isn’t.
smifaye (@smifaye) said on 6th October 2011, 18:17
Wow I need that kart!
Eggry (@eggry) said on 6th October 2011, 18:30
Japan is always great. I hope there would be something good in Korea either.
Stefanauss (@stefanauss) said on 6th October 2011, 18:38
I don’t like Liuzzi’s helmet a tiny bit.
What the hack are those matriosk-esque objects with FI and HRT names on them?
celeste (@celeste) said on 6th October 2011, 21:23
They are called Daruma. They are like dolls. You paint one eye and made a wish or set a goal.
Once the wish or the goal has been reached you paint the other eye.
Is based on the idea that you promise the Daruam his eye if he help you with your wish…
Stefanauss (@stefanauss) said on 7th October 2011, 8:41
So they actually might turn out to be the single biggest performance improvement for HRT so far.
celeste (@celeste) said on 7th October 2011, 19:06
lol maybe…
OmarR-Pepper (@omarr-pepper) said on 6th October 2011, 18:49
I don’t get if there’s a potato painted in red or something like that in the Force3 India pic… So nice on the Luzzi’s helmet
mcmercslr (@mcmercslr) said on 6th October 2011, 18:53
I think every driver has been given a little mascot like that. I can’t see how that one represents force India in any way though
Klaas (@klaas) said on 7th October 2011, 6:33
It’s not a potato painted in red nor a mascot. It’s a traditional Japanese one-eyed doll called Daruma. When you receive this doll you make a wish. If that wish is fulfilled, then you paint the other eye too.
mcmercslr (@mcmercslr) said on 6th October 2011, 18:51
I see liuzzis helmet has the new metal strip above the visor that’s being tested. I’m not sure I like it for looks but I guess we’ll get used to it.
Is the strip mandatory for all drivers or not as it doesnt look like vettel has it on his new design
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner) said on 7th October 2011, 7:44
@mcmercslr First i’ve head about that, what’s it all about?
thedamntyres (@icemangrins) said on 6th October 2011, 19:01
This interview of Rubens Barrichello indicates that kimi’s William deal is almost certain or decided. He sounds really helpless for a guy who will celebrate 20 years if he stays in the sport next year.