Kamui Kobayashi

Kamui Kobayashi (小林可夢偉) is a Japanese racing driver who currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing and Super Formula for Kids com Team KCMG.

He also serves as team principal for Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe for their FIA World Endurance Championship team.

Kobayashi previously competed in Formula One, Formula E, the GP2 Series, and the GP2 Asia Series.

He 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.

During the following seven years, Kobayashi took four karting titles, winning the Toyota SL All Japan Tournament Cadet Class series twice.

In 2004, he signed for Toyota's Driver Academy and soon began his career in open wheel racing.

His next step was Formula Renault, entering the Asian, German, Italian and Dutch championships and taking two race victories in the Italian championship.

Kobayashi continued in the Formula Renault class, entering the Italian and European championships and with six wins in both championships, he won both titles.

In 2006, Kobayashi entered the Formula 3 Euro Series with ASM Formule 3 alongside Paul di Resta, Giedo van der Garde and Sebastian Vettel.

He took three podium positions in his debut season, coming eighth in the Drivers' Championship and first in the Rookie's Championship.

Kobayashi also entered the Macau Grand Prix and the Masters of Formula 3, which are annual Formula Three events.

At the beginning of 2007, Kobayashi, along with Kōhei Hirate, was named as one of the Toyota Formula One team's test drivers.

He stayed in the Euro Series for the upcoming season and had an impressive start, taking two podiums in the first four rounds.

He 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.

Kobayashi finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship.

On November 16, 2007, it was confirmed that Kobayashi would replace the departing Franck Montagny as the Toyota F1 team's third driver.

He was the team's test and reserve driver during the and seasons.

Following a successful GP2 Asia Series campaign in early 2008, Kobayashi won his first GP2 Series race in only the second race of the season.

After a strong start from pole in the sprint race at the Circuit de Catalunya, Kobayashi took the chequered flag in first place.

This was after a controversial piece of defensive driving from his former Euro Series teammate Romain Grosjean after a safety car period.

At the end of the pit straight, Kobayashi attempted a pass on Grosjean.

However, the Frenchman moved more than once to defend his position, forcing Kobayashi into evasive action.

This resulted in a drive through penalty for the Frenchman, handing the win to Kobayashi.

However, he only finished in the points on one further occasion, restricting him to sixteenth in the championship.

Another successful GP2 Asia campaign followed over the winter months of 2008 and 2009, with Kobayashi winning two races en route to the championship, with a round to spare.

Kobayashi could not repeat his form in the main series, finishing sixteenth again.

At the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix, Kobayashi competed in the first two free practice sessions in place of Timo Glock, who was ill.

Glock recovered in time to take part in the third free practice session and qualifying, but was injured after crashing in the final session and had to miss the race.

Toyota asked the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) for permission to run Kobayashi in the race, but this was refused as the regulations state a driver must run in at least one session on Saturday to be eligible to start the race.

Kobayashi made his Formula One debut at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix, following a complication to Glock's injury that was initially not detected.

He also competed in the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as Glock's injury had not healed sufficiently.

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.

He qualified 11th in a chaotic session that lasted for over two and half hours and was red-flagged twice due to accidents caused by torrential rain.

Early in the race, while running in sixth place, he held off for several laps a challenge by Jenson Button, who needed to finish well to clinch the world championship.

He finished the race in tenth place, and was later promoted to ninth when Heikki Kovalainen was penalised.

Button jokingly described Kobayashi as "absolutely crazy, very aggressive".

Kobayashi is the third FIA world champion from Japan after Toshi Arai and Kazuki Nakajima, and became the third Asian-born driver after countrymen Aguri Suzuki and Takuma Satō to score a Formula One podium finish at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix.

Kobayashi was born in Amagasaki in Hyōgo Prefecture, near Kobe.

His father owns a sushi restaurant.

He became champion of the FIA World Endurance Championship alongside co-drivers Mike Conway and José María López in the 2019–20 season and in 2021, where he also won the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans.