Komeback Kobayashi

On a statement published on his official site, former Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi has announced that he will join Scuderia Ferrari in the FIA owned World Endurance Championship.

Statement:

Maranello, 11 March – Kamui Kobayashi is joining the ranks of Scuderia Ferrari, which makes him the first Asian driver to play his part in the history of the Prancing Horse. The Japanese driver will take part in GT races, competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) thus strengthening the team of drivers on the Ferrari books. His first event will be the Silverstone 6 Hours on 14 April. Kamui was born in 1986 in Amagasaki and made his Formula 1 debut on 18 October 2009 for Toyota, in his home race, in Japan. Driving for Toyota and Sauber, Kobayashi took part in 60 Grands Prix. He scored a total of 125 points and his best result was a podium finish in the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix.

“I am pleased to be able to announce today my new role,” said Kobayashi. “It’s an honour for me to become part of the Ferrari family. It will be the first time that I compete in endurance races in a championship featuring GT cars. I can’t wait to start working with AF Corse and I really hope I can aim for the title, along with my team-mates. I will work hard and give my all in this new chapter in my career, knowing I can count on the support of all my fans. I would like to thank Scuderia Ferrari for this opportunity and, finally, would like to dedicate this season’s new adventure to everyone in Japan, who on this very day, commemorate the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake that hit our country.”

The photo on the website shows him shaking hands with Ferrari team boss Stefano  Domenicali, and this can only boost his chances of making an F1 comeback in the future. Hopefully this is the start of something very beautiful as he will be a sorely missed character this year, a driver of his talent should not have been forced out by the size of his bank account.

I'm very glad that I'll have a competition to watch him in. His original plan was to save up enough money to re-enter F1 in 2014, but it's not as simple as taking a year out to fund raise, he's being proactive about the situation, but he also has the sense to keep himself in the spotlight, and he could not have picked a brighter light.