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Kamui Kobayashi

b. 1986

Racing driver in Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship

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About Kamui Kobayashi

Born 1986. Kamui Kobayashi is a Japanese racing automobile driver and formula One driver.

is a Japanese racing driver and motorsport executive who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota and in Super Formula for KCMG. Kobayashi competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing, Kobayashi has won two FIA World Endurance Championship titles and is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in and , all with Toyota. He is also a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2019 and 2020 with WTR. Since 2022, Kobayashi has served as team principal of Toyota in WEC, winning three consecutive World Manufacturers' Championship titles from 2022 to 2024.

Kobayashi 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 became champion of the FIA World Endurance Championship alongside co-drivers Mike Conway and JosĂ© MarĂ­a LĂłpez in the 2019–20 season and in 2021, where he also won the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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 Satƍ to score a Formula One podium finish, doing so at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix for Sauber.

Junior single-seater career

Early years Kobayashi was born in Amagasaki in Hyƍgo Prefecture, near Kobe. His father owns a sushi restaurant. 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, Kobayashi 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. Kobayashi started in tenth 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.

At the beginning of 2007, Kobayashi, along with Kƍhei 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.

GP2

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.

Formula One (2007–2012) On 16 November 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.

Toyota (2009)

2009 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 qualified eleventh 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". He also competed in the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as Glock's injury had not healed sufficiently. Kobayashi qualified twelfth and finished sixth, scoring his first World Championship points, in the inaugural day-night race in Abu Dhabi. Before Toyota decided to withdraw from Formula One, Kobayashi was expected to be given a full-time seat at Toyota for the 2010 Formula One Season.

Sauber (2010–2012)

2010

Following Toyota's withdrawal, Kobayashi faced an uncertain future, but he was mentioned in lists of probable drivers for the series' new teams for 2010. After weeks of speculation, it was confirmed on 17 December 2009, he would drive for Sauber for the 2010 season. Despite the team having been sold by BMW back to founder Peter Sauber after the 2009 season, and no longer using BMW components, the team was still named BMW Sauber as it had been known for the past four seasons. His teammate was former McLaren tester Pedro de la Rosa. Kobayashi completed his first laps in the new Sauber C29 chassis during F1 winter testing on 2 February.

During the , a front wing failure on his Sauber caused him to hit the barrier, rebounding off it to cause a three-car crash taking out Nico HĂŒlkenberg and SĂ©bastien Buemi. In the next race in Malaysia he qualified in ninth place, his best grid position up to that point, however he suffered an engine failure early in the race. In China, Kobayashi was involved in a three-way collision with Buemi and Vitantonio Liuzzi on the first lap, making him the only driver to retire from the first four races. In Turkey, he won his first points of the season, coming home tenth after being promoted a place due to Vettel's retirement after a collision with teammate Webber and Petrov's puncture. In Valencia, he finished seventh by passing both Fernando Alonso and SĂ©bastien Buemi in the final laps on fresh tyres, after driving the majority of the race in third position on his first set of tyres. He followed that with sixth place in Silverstone, eleventh in Germany, ninth in Hungary and eighth in Belgium.

At the , Kobayashi suffered a gearbox failure and retired from the after hitting a track-side barrier. Kobayashi's teammate changed in Singapore as Pedro de la Rosa was removed in favour of Nick Heidfeld. In Japan, Kobayashi qualified 14th and finished seventh, passing several drivers along the way including his teammate, in a very impressive fashion. He finished eighth in Korea and tenth in Brazil, eventually finishing the season with 32 points. In his review of the season, former TV commentator Murray Walker stated that Kobayashi is "without a doubt Japan's best [F1 driver] yet". Kobayashi gained a reputation during the season as a highly skilled overtaker, being able to outbrake drivers several car lengths in front of him. His aggressive overtaking style was described by Martin Brundle as, "He gets to the normal braking point and then goes, 'Now, which one is the brake again? That's right, it's on the left,' and he just sails past people!" He qualified well against his more experienced teammates, outqualifying de la Rosa and Heidfeld eleven times to eight over the season.

2011

Kobayashi remained with Sauber (renamed from BMW Sauber to Sauber F1 Team) in , where he was partnered by GP2 graduate Sergio PĂ©rez. Kobayashi finished eighth in the season opening , but he and PĂ©rez – who had finished seventh – were disqualified after the race due to an irregularity with the car's rear-wing. The next race of the season in Malaysia was another strong showing for Kobayashi, finishing eighth in the race, eventually classified seventh after Lewis Hamilton received a penalty. He finished tenth in his next three races, before a career-high fifth place in an incident-packed Monaco Grand Prix. In an extremely wet , Kobayashi worked his way up from thirteenth place to second having not decided to change to extreme wet tyres before the race was red-flagged, as many other drivers had. This essentially gave him a free pit stop while the race was suspended. After the restart, the track began to dry out, and after changing to intermediate tyres and finally slicks, Kobayashi dropped several places, including having a spin whilst lapping a backmarker and being rear-ended by Nick Heidfeld. He eventually finished seventh, 0.045 seconds behind Felipe Massa, who passed him on the final straight.

2012

On 28 July 2011, it was announced that Kobayashi would remain with Sauber into the season, alongside teammate Pérez.

Kobayashi started the season with sixth place at the , and a retirement at the , due to a problem with his car's brakes.

Kobayashi then started third at the behind the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher. He dropped to tenth but managed to set the fastest lap. At the , he finished fifth after overtaking Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg. Kobayashi finished in the points once in the next four races, finishing ninth in Canada. Kobayashi finished in a then-career-best fourth place at the – having finished fifth on-the-road – as he was helped by a post-race penalty for second-placed Sebastian Vettel. After retiring late in the race at the , Kobayashi qualified a career-best second for the but was caught in a first-corner accident along with four other drivers. Kobayashi was the only one of the five to continue in the race, and finished thirteenth.

Kobayashi took his maiden podium in Formula One with third place at the , after lasting through race-long pressure from Jenson Button. Kobayashi became the first Japanese driver to finish on a Formula One podium in Japan in 22 years, after Aguri Suzuki in the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, and was the third Japanese driver to finish on a Formula One podium after Suzuki and Takuma Sato in the 2004 United States Grand Prix.

On 23 November 2012, Sauber announced that Kobayashi would not be a part of the team's line-up for the season, as Nico HĂŒlkenberg and Esteban GutiĂ©rrez would form the race team and Robin Frijns as reserve driver. Kobayashi ultimately finished the season in twelfth place in the Drivers' Championship, with sixty points. Despite raising around €8 million in sponsorship, Kobayashi elected to focus on gaining a competitive drive for the season rather than a drive.

WEC debut (2013)

AF Corse

On 11 March 2013, it was confirmed that Kobayashi would drive for AF Corse in the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship season. He competed in the LMGTE-Pro class in the Ferrari 458 GT for what is expected to be all of the season's eight rounds, including the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Kobayashi also tested a 2010 Formula One Ferrari in preparation for a promotional event in Moscow, where he crashed in the wet.

In the 81st edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2013, Kobayashi and the AF Corse team scored fifth place in the GTE-Pro class along with his co-drivers Olivier Beretta and Toni Vilander, their Ferrari 458 GT covered a total of 312 laps in the Circuit de la Sarthe. The race was run in very difficult weather conditions and several serious accidents bringing out a record of twelve safety car caution periods.

Return to Formula One (2014)

Caterham

On 21 January 2014, it was confirmed that Kobayashi would return to Formula One with the Caterham F1 team for the 2014 season partnering Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson after considerable speculation about the team's all new line-up for the new season. At the first race of the season, the , Kobayashi crashed into Massa at the start due to a brake failure. However, in the following , he was running as high as eighth, ahead of his teammate, the Marussias, and several other cars. He however finished the race in thirteenth, promoting Caterham to tenth in the Constructors' standings. However, later in the season Caterham were demoted to 11th due to Jules Bianchi achieving Marussia's first points finish in the .

On 20 August 2014, it was announced that German driver André Lotterer would replace Kobayashi for the race weekend. He returned to racing action at the after Lotterer declined a further offer due to the seat being taken in practice by Roberto Merhi, who was attempting to qualify for an FIA Super Licence. Kobayashi declared his unhappiness at the situation, with the team's driver plans changing at short notice and his own future uncertain.

Haas F1 test (2025) Kobayashi returned to the wheel of a Formula One car in June 2025 after eleven years, driving the Haas VF-23 for the Haas F1 Team at Circuit Paul Ricard. The test is due to Haas' close ties with Kobayashi's WEC team, Toyota Gazoo Racing, with Toyota willing to give Kobayashi an opportunity to test a modern Formula One car.

Super Formula and WEC split

Super Formula and Super GT (2015–present)

Super Formula On 30 January 2015, it was confirmed that Kobayashi would drive for Team LeMans in the 2015 Super Formula season. He scored three podiums on his way to a fifth-place finish in the drivers' championship during his first year in the series. His second year with Team LeMans was less successful, only managing to score one point and finishing seventeenth in the championship.

Kobayashi moved to KCMG at the start of the 2017 season. Kobayashi stayed in the team for over seven years, where he clinched four podiums of second place. But for 2020, and 2021 he did not compete full time as he had clashing races where he prioritized WEC, his replacements were Yuichi Nakayama for 2020, and Kazuto Kotaka for 2021. Kobayashi then continued to race with KCMG, and he clinched his first podium since 2019 with third place at Fuji Speedway in 2024.

Kobayashi left KCMG after competed with them for eight seasons, as he moves to KDDI TGMGP TGR-DC with rookie Rikuto Kobayashi.

Super GT Kobayashi made his one off debut in Super GT GT500 class with Racing Project Bandoh in 2017. Kobayashi made full season debut in 2018, as he raced with SARD alongside former F1 driver and the series champion Heikki Kovalainen.

Return to FIA World Endurance Championship (2016–present)

Toyota Gazoo Racing

On 4 February 2016, Kobayashi was confirmed as a LMP1 driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Kobayashi scored his first WEC race victory at the 2016 6 Hours of Fuji, finishing ahead of the No. 8 Audi and the No. 1 Porsche.

In 2017, Kobayashi achieved the current lap record at the Circuit de la Sarthe with a lap time of 3:14.791.

Kobayashi won the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans from pole after numerous attempts, alongside Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez. Kobayashi is the fourth Japanese driver to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the first being Masanori Sekiya, and is only the second to do so for a Japanese manufacturer.

In December 2021, Toyota announced that Kobayashi would succeed Hisatake Murata as team principal of the manufacturer's WEC programme, combining the management position with his role as a driver for the team.

NASCAR (2023)

On 7 June 2023, it was announced that Kobayashi would make his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 67 Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. At Indy, he finished 33rd.

In 2024, Kobayashi would return to the NASCAR Cup Series and race again for 23XI Racing at Circuit of the Americas for the 2024 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, he finished 29th.

Personal life Kobayashi was named after Kamuy, a divine being in Ainu mythology, and the letter of the name imitated the sound citing three Kanji from the sentence "Enabling great dream(s)".

In April 2013, Kobayashi was awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Sport Award at The Asian Awards in London.

Racing record

Career summary Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position 2003 Formula Toyota N/A 10 2 4 ? ? 120 2nd 2004 Formula Renault 2000 Italia Prema Powerteam 17 2 3 1 3 134 7th Formula Renault 2000 Germany 2 0 0 0 0 16 31st Formula Renault 2000 Netherlands ? ? ? ? ? 32 15th Asian Formula Renault Challenge Asia Racing Team 1 0 0 ? 0 16 31st 2005 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Prema Powerteam 16 6 4 4 8 157 1st Formula Renault 2.0 Italia 15 6 9 8 11 312 1st 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series ASM Formule 3 19 0 0 1 3 34 8th Macau Grand Prix 1 0 1 0 0 N/A 19th Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 11th 2007 Formula 3 Euro Series ASM Formule 3 20 1 1 0 7 59 4th Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 13th Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A NC Formula One Panasonic Toyota RacingThird driver 2008 GP2 Asia Series DAMS 10 2 0 0 3 22 6th GP2 Series 20 1 0 2 1 10 16th Formula One Panasonic Toyota RacingTest/Reserve driver 2008–09 GP2 Asia Series DAMS 11 2 2 3 4 56 1st 2009 GP2 Series DAMS 20 0 0 0 1 13 16th Formula One Panasonic Toyota Racing 2 0 0 0 0 3 18th 2010 Formula One BMW Sauber F1 Team 19 0 0 0 0 32 12th 2011 Formula One Sauber F1 Team 19 0 0 0 0 30 12th 2012 Formula One Sauber F1 Team 20 0 0 1 1 60 12th 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Pro AF Corse 8 0 0 2 4 98 7th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 5th 2014 Formula One Caterham F1 Team 16 0 0 0 0 0 22nd 2015 Super Formula Kygnus Sunoco Team LeMans 8 0 0 0 3 20 5th FIA World Endurance Championship Toyota RacingReserve driver 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship Toyota Gazoo Racing 9 1 0 1 6 145 3rd 24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 1 1 N/A 2nd Super Formula Sunoco Team LeMans 9 0 0 2 0 1 17th 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship Toyota Gazoo Racing 9 0 4 1 3 103.5 5th 24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 1 0 0 N/A DNF Super Formula KCMG 7 0 0 1 1 16.5 7th Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Good Smile Racing with Team UKYO 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC Intercontinental GT Challenge 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC Super GT Lexus Team WedsSport Bandoh 1 0 0 0 0 10 17th 2017–18 Formula E MS&AD Andretti Formula E 2 0 0 0 0 0 24th 2018 Super GT Lexus Team SARD 7 1 0 0 1 27 13th Super Formula carrozzeria Team KCMG 5 0 0 1 1 11 10th 24 Hours of Le Mans Toyota Gazoo Racing 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 2nd 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship Toyota Gazoo Racing 8 2 4 2 6 157 2nd 2019 Super Formula carrozzeria Team KCMG 7 0 0 1 2 19 6th IMSA SportsCar Championship - DPi Konica Minolta Cadillac 1 1 0 0 1 35 27th 24 Hours of Le Mans Toyota Gazoo Racing 1 0 1 0 1 N/A 2nd Intercontinental GT Challenge Mercedes-AMG Team GOOD SMILE 1 0 0 0 0 1 25th 2019–20 FIA World Endurance Championship Toyota Gazoo Racing 8 4 3 1 8 207 1st 2020 Super Formula carrozzeria Team KCMG 5 0 0 1 0 8 16th IMSA SportsCar Championship - DPi Konica Minolta Cadillac 1 1 0 1 1 35 23rd GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup HubAuto Corsa 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC Intercontinental GT Challenge 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC 24 Hours of Le Mans Toyota Gazoo Racing 1 0 1 0 1 N/A 3rd 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship - Hypercar Toyota Gazoo Racing 6 3 4 0 6 173 1st 24 Hours of Le Mans - Hypercar 1 1 1 0 1 N/A 1st IMSA SportsCar Championship - DPi Ally Cadillac Racing 4 0 0 0 1 1203 12th Super Formula carrozzeria Team KCMG 1 0 0 0 0 1 20th Super TaikyĆ« - ST-Q ORC ROOKIE Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A NC 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship - Hypercar Toyota Gazoo Racing 6 2 1 1 5 133 3rd 24 Hours of Le Mans - Hypercar 1 0 0 1 1 N/A 2nd IMSA SportsCar Championship - DPi Ally Cadillac 4 0 0 0 1 1146 11th IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro Vasser Sullivan Racing 1 0 0 0 0 276 28th Super Formula KCMG 10 0 0 0 0 9 17th 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship - Hypercar Toyota Gazoo Racing 7 4 3 4 5 145 2nd 24 Hours of Le Mans - Hypercar 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF Super Formula Kids com Team KCMG 9 0 0 0 0 17.5 11th NASCAR Cup Series 23XI Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 63rd 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship - Hypercar Toyota Gazoo Racing 8 1 1 2 3 113 3rd NĂŒrburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP10 2 0 0 0 0 * * NĂŒrburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP8T ? ? ? ? ? — — Super Formula Kids com Team KCMG 9 0 0 0 1 22.5 10th NASCAR Cup Series 23XI Racing 1 0 0 0 0 8 41st 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship - Hypercar Toyota Gazoo Racing 8 1 1 0 1 89 6th Super Formula Kids com Team KCMG 10 0 0 1 0 21 13th Intercontinental GT Challenge Goodsmile Racing & Team UKYO ? ? ? ? ? — — GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTP Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing 1 0 0 0 0 223 40th 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship - Hypercar Toyota Gazoo Racing 4 1 0 0 2 75 2nd* Super Formula KDDI TGMGP TGR-DC 8 0 0 1 0 3 21st* Super GT - GT300 Team ENEOS Rookie 1 0 0 0 0 10 24th*NĂŒrburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9KCMG ? ? ? ? ? — — Season still in progress.

Complete Formula Renault 2.0 Italia results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 DC Points 2004 Prema Powerteam VLL1 VLL2 VAR MAG SPA1 SPA2 MNZ11 MNZ12 MNZ13 MIS1 MIS2 MIS3 ADR HOC1 HOC2 MNZ21 MNZ22 7th 134 2005 Prema Powerteam VLL1 VLL2 IMO1 IMO2 SPA1 SPA2 MNZ11 MNZ12 MNZ13 MUG1 MUG2 MIS1 MIS2 MIS3 VAR MNZ21 MNZ22 1st 254

Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 DC Points 2005 Prema Powerteam ZOL1 ZOL2 VAL1 VAL2 LMS1 LMS2 BIL1 BIL2 OSC1 OSC2 DON1 DON2 EST1 EST2 MNZ1 MNZ2 1st 157

Complete Formula 3 Euro Series record (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Pos Points 2006 ASM Formule 3 Dallara F305/012 Mercedes HOC1 HOC2 LAU1 LAU2 OSC1 OSC2 BRH1 BRH2 NOR1 NOR2 NÜR1 NÜR2 ZAN1 ZAN2 CAT1 CAT2 BUG1 BUG2 HOC1 HOC2 8th 34 2007 ASM Formule 3 Dallara F305/012 Mercedes HOC1 HOC2 BRH1 BRH2 NOR1 NOR2 MAG1 MAG2 MUG1 MUG2 ZAN1 ZAN2 NÜR1 NÜR2 CAT1 CAT2 NOG1 NOG2 HOC1 HOC2 4th 59

Complete Macau Grand Prix results Year Team Car Qualifying Quali Race Main race 2006 ASM Formule 3 Dallara F305 1st 1st 19th 2007 ASM Formule 3 Dallara F305 7th DNF 13th

Complete GP2 Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 DC Points 2008 DAMS CATFEA CATSPR ISTFEA ISTSPR MONFEA MONSPR MAGFEA MAGSPR SILFEA SILSPR HOCFEA HOCSPR HUNFEA HUNSPR VALFEA VALSPR SPAFEA SPASPR MNZFEA MNZSPR 16th 10 2009 DAMS CATFEA CATSPR MONFEA MONSPR ISTFEA ISTSPR SILFEA SILSPR NÜRFEA NÜRSPR HUNFEA HUNSPR VALFEA VALSPR SPAFEA SPASPR MNZFEA MNZSPR ALGFEA ALGSPR 16th 13

Complete GP2 Asia Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula One results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 WDC Points Panasonic Toyota Racing Toyota TF109 Toyota RVX-09 2.4 V8 AUS MAL CHN BHR ESP MON TUR GBR GER HUN EUR BEL ITA SIN JPN BRA ABU 18th 3 BMW Sauber F1 Team Sauber C29 Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 BHR AUS MAL CHN ESP MON TUR CAN EUR GBR GER HUN BEL ITA SIN JPN KOR BRA ABU 12th 32 Sauber F1 Team Sauber C30 Ferrari 056 2.4 V8AUS MAL CHN TUR ESP MON CAN EUR GBR GER HUN BEL ITA SIN JPN KOR IND ABU BRA 12th 30 2012 Sauber F1 Team Sauber C31 Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 AUS MAL CHN BHR ESP MON CAN EUR GBR GER HUN BEL ITA SIN JPN KOR IND ABU USA BRA 12th 60 2014 Caterham F1 Team Caterham CT05 Renault Energy F12014 1.6 V6 t AUS MAL BHR CHN ESP MON CAN AUT GBR GER HUN BEL ITA SIN JPN RUS USA BRA ABU 22nd 0 Did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rank Points 2013 AF Corse LMGTE Pro Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 SIL SPA LMS SÃO COA FUJ SHA BHR 7th 98 2016 Toyota Gazoo Racing LMP1 Toyota TS050 Hybrid Toyota H8909 2.4 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) SIL SPA LMS NÜR MEX COA FUJ SHA BHR 3rd 145 2017 Toyota Gazoo Racing LMP1 Toyota TS050 Hybrid Toyota H8909 2.4 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) SIL SPA LMS NÜR MEX COA FUJ SHA BHR 5th 103.5 2018–19 Toyota Gazoo Racing LMP1 Toyota TS050 Hybrid Toyota H8909 2.4 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) SPA LMS SIL FUJ SHA SEB SPA LMS 2nd 157 2019–20 Toyota Gazoo Racing LMP1 Toyota TS050 Hybrid Toyota H8909 2.4 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) SIL FUJ SHA BHR COA SPA LMS BHR 1st 207 2021 Toyota Gazoo Racing Hypercar Toyota GR010 Hybrid Toyota H8909 3.5 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) SPA ALG MNZ LMS BHR BHR 1st 173 2022 Toyota Gazoo Racing Hypercar Toyota GR010 Hybrid Toyota H8909 3.5 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) SEB SPA LMS MNZ FUJ BHR 3rd 133 2023 Toyota Gazoo Racing Hypercar Toyota GR010 Hybrid Toyota H8909 3.5 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) SEB ALG SPA LMS MNZ FUJ BHR 2nd 145 2024 Toyota Gazoo Racing Hypercar Toyota GR010 Hybrid Toyota H8909 3.5 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) QAT IMO SPA LMS SÃO COA FUJ BHR 3rd 113 2025 Toyota Gazoo Racing Hypercar Toyota GR010 Hybrid Toyota H8909 3.5 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) QAT IMO SPA LMS SÃO COA FUJ BHR 6th 89 2026 Toyota Racing Hypercar Toyota TR010 Hybrid Toyota H8909 3.5 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) IMO SPA LMS SÃO COA FUJ CAT MNZ 2nd* 75* Season still in progress.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 2013 AF Corse Toni Vilander Olivier Beretta Ferrari 458 Italia GT GTEPro 312 20th 5th 2016 Toyota Gazoo Racing Mike Conway Stéphane Sarrazin Toyota TS050 Hybrid LMP1 381 2nd 2nd 2017 Toyota Gazoo Racing Mike Conway Stéphane Sarrazin Toyota TS050 Hybrid LMP1 154 DNF DNF 2018 Toyota Gazoo Racing Mike Conway José María López Toyota TS050 Hybrid LMP1 386 2nd 2nd 2019 Toyota Gazoo Racing Mike Conway José María López Toyota TS050 Hybrid LMP1 385 2nd 2nd 2020 Toyota Gazoo Racing Mike Conway José María López Toyota TS050 Hybrid LMP1 381 3rd 3rd 2021 Toyota Gazoo Racing Mike Conway José María López Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar 371 1st 1st 2022 Toyota Gazoo Racing Mike Conway José María López Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar 380 2nd 2nd 2023 Toyota Gazoo Racing Mike Conway José María López Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar 103 DNF DNF 2024 Toyota Gazoo Racing José María López Nyck de Vries Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar 311 2nd 2nd 2025 Toyota Gazoo Racing Mike Conway Nyck de Vries Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar 386 5th 5th 2026 Toyota Racing Mike Conway Nyck de Vries Toyota TR010 Hybrid Hypercar 381 1st 1st

Complete Super Formula results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) ‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed. † Did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance. Season still in progress.

Complete Super GT results Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Points 2017 Lexus Team WedsSport Bandoh Lexus LC 500 GT500 OKA FUJ AUT SUG FUJ SUZ CHA MOT 17th 10 2018 Lexus Team SARD Lexus LC 500 GT500 OKA FUJ SUZ CHA FUJ SUG AUT MOT 13th 27 2026 Team ENEOS Rookie Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo GT300 OKA FUJ FUJ SUZ SUG AUT MOT 24th* 10* Season still in progress.

Complete Formula E results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Chassis Powertrain 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Points 2017–18 MS&AD Andretti Formula E Spark SRT01-e Andretti ATEC-03 HKG HKG MRK SCL MEX PDE RME PAR BER ZUR NYC NYC 24th 0

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

24 Hours of Daytona results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 2019 Konica Minolta Cadillac Renger van der Zande Jordan Taylor Fernando Alonso Cadillac DPi-V.R DPi 593 1st 1st 2020 Konica Minolta Cadillac Renger van der Zande Ryan Briscoe Scott Dixon Cadillac DPi-V.R DPi 833 1st 1st 2021 Ally Cadillac Racing Jimmie Johnson Simon Pagenaud Mike Rockenfeller Cadillac DPi-V.R DPi 807 2nd 2nd 2022 Ally Cadillac Racing Jimmie Johnson José María López Mike Rockenfeller Cadillac DPi-V.R DPi 739 11th 5th 2025 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Louis Delétraz Jordan Taylor Cadillac V-Series.R GTP 245 DNF DNF

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series NASCAR Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Pts Ref 2023 23XI Racing 67 Toyota DAY CAL LVS PHO ATL COA RCH BRD MAR TAL DOV KAN DAR CLT GTW SON NSH CSC ATL NHA POC RCH MCH IRC33 GLN DAY DAR KAN BRI TEX TAL ROV LVS HOM MAR PHO 63rd 01 2024 50 DAY ATL LVS PHO BRI COA29 RCH MAR TEX TAL DOV KAN DAR CLT GTW SON IOW NHA NSH CSC POC IND RCH MCH DAY DAR ATL GLN BRI KAN TAL ROV LVS HOM MAR PHO 41st 8

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Important facts

People in Kamui Kobayashi's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Kamui Kobayashi's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Kamui Kobayashi?

racing driver in Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship

When was Kamui Kobayashi born?

Kamui Kobayashi was born on 13 September 1986 in Amagasaki.

What is Kamui Kobayashi's occupation?

Kamui Kobayashi is a racing automobile driver and formula One driver.

What nationality is Kamui Kobayashi?

Kamui Kobayashi is Japanese.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Kamui Kobayashi

· Wikidata: Q82798

· DBpedia: Kamui Kobayashi

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Kamui Kobayashi. https://biography.guide/kamui-kobayashi/

MLA: "Kamui Kobayashi." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/kamui-kobayashi/.

Chicago: "Kamui Kobayashi." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/kamui-kobayashi/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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