autoevolution
 

Sauber F1 Confirms Kobayashi for 2010

Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi is the latest driver to secure a racing spot for the 2010 Formula One championship. What was only a rumor yesterday turned into reality during the course of the afternoon, when Peter Sauber announced Kobayashi inked a one-year deal with his team for the upcoming year.

Kobayashi was in pole position for securing the drive ever since the Swiss outfit safeguarded itself from bankruptcy a couple of weeks ago, as the Japanese rookie was rumored to benefit from strong sponsorship backing from Panasonic.

I am convinced he has a great deal of potential and will be able to make the most of it in our team,” said Peter Sauber, when confirming Kobayashi as his first official driver of the 2010 season.

Regarded as Japan's most talented driver of the new wave, the former Toyota racer impressed everybody during his 2-race stint in F1 last year. Being only a reserve driver for the Japanese manufacturer, he was given the opportunity to debut in the series as a replacement for injured Timo Glock.

This is where it all started to go the right way for Kobayashi. While nearly missing out on a Q3 qualifying session and scoring his first point in F1 in his first race, in Brazil, he finished on an impressive 6th place in the season finale at Abu Dhabi. From that point on, the phones started ringing continuously.

With one driver already secured for the new season, Sauber will not look to complete his lineup by mid-January. The drivers in pole position for that spot are Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa and German Nick Heidfeld, with the latter still expecting a finale in the Mercedes GP – Michael Schumacher story (as he is seen as Schu's alternative for Mercedes' team).
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories