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Kobayashi’s future (42 posts)

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Garns said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

I agree with Kingshark in that Checo is better than KK, Di Resta & the Hulk. While the latter are no doubt talented I think Perez will show that he has that little bit more than your average F1 driver (if that actually exists). And yes, at 22 he will only get better as he learns.

Next year will be tough for him as he will be cast into the spotlight more and all will be seeing how he goes against Jenson and also Lewis, as at this point it seems he will have a better car than the guy he replaced.

Button will no doubt help him develope to some extent, but EVERY driver on the grid loves to beat his team-mate, especially if one is a former world champ and the other the perceived up-and-comer.

I think time will show Perez to be a world champion.

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Antonio Nartea said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

I think time will show Perez to be a world champion.

I’d include Hulkenberg in that category as well. Both have shown flashes of brilliance this season and both look top-team-bound in the future (Perez a bit earlier, indeed). I’d say they are both thereabouts in terms of pure speed, with Hulkenberg being the more consistent and level-headed of the two, while Checo is the impulsive (but not stupid-impulsive), spectacular one.

Both have what it takes to fight for the WDC in the future, imo. And if Hulkenberg indeed lands a Ferrari seat after next year, we’re in for a treat!

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Michael said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

@raymondu999
interesting distinction between aggressive driver and aggressive racer – I would say that Kamui is a litte of both.
I am trying to think of examples of aggressive racers who are not aggressive drivers.

As for Hamilton, I’m not so sure that the comment is entirely correct – I have not seen any driver back out of passes as much as Hamilton has. When he does go for it, there is a definite opening that the other driver has left and should anticipate a move from Hamilton.

He’s definitely the most calculated driver than the others which is why he has so many options when it comes to passing another car – his mistake is probably assuming that the other drivers are as good as he is. When he’s racing with Raikonnen, Kimi, Alonso they can keep up with his tactics.

Unfortunately Massa came up short last year and had no clue how to deal with Hamilton – I’m assuming he was relying on his pre-accident abilities but unfortunately he was compromised and just had no clue how to deal with Hamilton other than collide with him. By the end of the season, we all knew Massa was going to ram Hamilton everytime they ran into each other…

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raymondu999 said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

@freelittlebirds It’s a very important distinction IMO – and one that needs to be made, because a lot of people confuse the two together. Paul Di Resta is an example to your question – he is a driver that falls more under smooth than aggressive – but as a racer he was definitely aggressive. I remember he lost his front wing something like 4 times in the first 6 races?

As for a smooth racer with an aggressive style – ironically, it’s his current teammate Hulkenberg.

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ShaneB457 said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

@raymondu999 @freelittlebirds

Aggressive – as a driver or as a racer?

Yeah, like Michael said, KK is certainly both. I remember back in 2011 for the japanese qualifying, where Kamui made it through to Q3 (if im not mistaken), you could see just how agressive he was with his steering imputs. I do remember that clearly, even though it was quite a while back. He was absolutely wrestling the car to its limit, trying to extract the maximum out of it. This “aggresive” style is quite evident I think, in pretty much every lap that Kobayashi does.

I think what you get with Kamui, is someone who is sporadic and surprising. He is a fantastic overtaker and is not afraid to race wheel to wheel. You just know that whenever he is very close to another car, side by side for example, he will not make contact with the other driver in question. I do think he is quite agressive in his overtakes, but from what I can remember, he has not been involved in many incidents in his career, (certainly less incidents than Hamilton or Maldonado). I could be wrong on that but nevertheless, I thought I should express my opinion.

KK has a special something, a uniqueness which is very hard to replace. If he were to leave F1, then the sport would lose a great charecter.

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raymondu999 said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

@shaneb12345678910
Careful not to confuse aggressive/wrestling with “to the limit” – sometimes – an aggressive style is slower than a smoother style. Sorry to be semantic about the whole thing – but given my old job it’s an important distinction to make.

I liken Kobayashi’s overtaking to Button’s, actually. I call it the “booya” style. He just follows you quietly, and all of a sudden… “booya!” His nose is suddenly next to yours – and you’re left tryingto avoid things while cursing to yourself “where on earth did HE come from!?”

Button often does that – lulling the opposition into a false sense of security first by driving a docile race, just biding his time, then popping up when the other guy doesn’t expect it.

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Michael said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

@raymondu999
I can’t think of 2 more different drivers than Kamui and Jenson – if anyone has inspired Kamui I would think it’s Lewis, not Jenson. In fact, Kamui’s style is the closest to Lewis’s on the grid so losing him could be very detrimental to the sport.

F1 is getting very unbalanced where money is driving everything, not skill or entertainment. Most people who watch F1 watch it for the drivers and if we end up with the slower and more risk-averse drivers – (they go together as speed requires skill) then F1 runs the risk of being a funeral procession.

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raymondu999 said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

@freelittlebirds Well for obvious reasons, judging on how aggressive a driver is a s a racer is more subjective than judging how aggressive/smooth they drive – and so I don’t think anyone can ever fully agree on that. For example we’ve already disagreed on the last two examples! Lol.

I personally feel that in terms of mental preparation, setting up the move, and timing of the move, Kobayashi is a lot closer to Jenson. Lewis, you always know that he will be trying whenever he has a chance – which can often hurt him. Look for example at Melbourne 2010 – where Lewis, catching Massa at 2s/lap after a pitstop, kept on trying to overtake Massa into Turn 1. It compromised his line through 1 and through to turn 3 – so he could never overtake into the better overtaking spot of 3.

Kobayashi IMO is different – he waits for when you’re not expecting an attack, and just divebombs. Look at Button’s overtakes in Brazil 2009 and Suzuka 2009, and compare – Button takes it easy, and lulls the other guy into a false sense of “oh – he won’t overtake me. He hasn’t even TRIED the last five laps! Before suddenly divebombing the other car under braking.

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raymondu999 said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

@freelittlebirds in terms of overtaking and the like, I don’t think anyone like Jenson or Lewis has “inspired” Kobayashi in any way. By the time Kobayashi would have been watching Lewis, his personal style would already have matured and bedded in.

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Kingshark said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

The truth might be harsh and unlikable, but it is still the truth. Why is it that for next season Perez has secured a ride for a top team while Kobayashi will likely not have a drive in F1 at all? It’s that Perez has shown flashes of brilliance more often than Kobayashi.

Kobayashi might be a nearby or an equally good driver, but Perez is younger and has already achieved more in his career than Kamui probably ever will.

It’s all about showing promise. At the end of this year, when they (team managers) look at Perez, they see a 22 year old hot-shoe that has already achieved 3 podiums with a midfield team in his career. When they look at Kobayashi, they see a 26 year old guy that has had over 3 years and 80 races to impress in F1 but never did, and his best result being a sole podium.

Hence why, for 2013 Sergio Perez will be driving a Mclaren, while for Kamui Kobayashi it is unlikely if he’ll even be driving in Formula 1 anymore. It isn’t exactly fair, I never said it was, but that’s life.

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Garns said 6 months, 3 weeks ago:

Good comment Kingshark- very little between being a top gun or no show in F1 these days, especially with paid seats seeming more important for some teams.

Going off topic a bit but just seeing what people’s thoughts are on how many drivers world wide currently would be competetive in F1? Lets use the 107% rule as a guide.

There are 24 drivers on the grid, and a few other 3rd drivers who get a gig on FP1. Very few. I like playing my F1 Wii game- still 2009 version :( and surprised with how many drivers in that not on this years grid- probably 6 or 7. Looking at the driving talent in all worldwide racing catergories how many drivers could get in a F1 car and be within the 107% time, within a resonable time to get familiar with the car?

50?
60?
100?
300?

Michael Andretti was able to be competive (well, somewhat) in the early 90′s and you would have to say there would be quite a few drivers who could adapt these days, but how many?

Personally I have no idea, but found it interesting after Kingsharks comments where KK was on a podium 3 races ago, and may be nowhere in F1 in 2013.

Thoughts?

Garns

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Bradley Downton said 4 months ago:

Please now post in here from this topic:

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/groups/f1/forum/topic/kamui-kobayashi-2013-2014/

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