Kobayashi interested in Lotus seat
Discussion
I cant personally see it happening but would be brave move for Lotus
"Obviously my seat there is gone, I was close to signing the contract for that season only, but with four new teams, and a couple of current ones with no confirmed drivers, there are options, but to the current teams, I am a "risk", which isn't very good for my morale really," he told thef1times.
"I do believe I'll get a seat, if I had to choose a team, I'd choose Lotus. The name is enough really.
"McLaren are out of my league, Ferrari are the same, Renault I'm not sure of, Red Bull are secure, Brawn have Rosberg I think, Williams are done, I do not even know if Sauber will be here next year, Toro Rosso just want the same drivers. I think for me, my options are the four new teams really."
Kobayashi is also getting some assistance from Toyota with the Japanese outfit doing what they can to secure him a race-seat for next season.
"They're working with myself and my agent to help me find a seat, they are doing the same for Kazuki Nakajima as well, Toyota explained to me that they couldn't compete in the sport no longer but will help me in my career as much as possible."
"Obviously my seat there is gone, I was close to signing the contract for that season only, but with four new teams, and a couple of current ones with no confirmed drivers, there are options, but to the current teams, I am a "risk", which isn't very good for my morale really," he told thef1times.
"I do believe I'll get a seat, if I had to choose a team, I'd choose Lotus. The name is enough really.
"McLaren are out of my league, Ferrari are the same, Renault I'm not sure of, Red Bull are secure, Brawn have Rosberg I think, Williams are done, I do not even know if Sauber will be here next year, Toro Rosso just want the same drivers. I think for me, my options are the four new teams really."
Kobayashi is also getting some assistance from Toyota with the Japanese outfit doing what they can to secure him a race-seat for next season.
"They're working with myself and my agent to help me find a seat, they are doing the same for Kazuki Nakajima as well, Toyota explained to me that they couldn't compete in the sport no longer but will help me in my career as much as possible."
TheArchitect said:
personally i cant see him getting a seat, although is a shame as we need people like him who are willing to not just bend over and take it.
Who have the new teams got? Manor,Campos and Lotus. I know that Trulli,Glock,Heidfield,Grosgean(surely)dont have seats so unless they are going with unknowns, i would still expect to see him at a team next year.
Gascoyne has already said in an interview he wants 'experienced' drivers and is prepared to pay so despite his attacking performances I don't think he will be in at Lotus. In this context I think Gascoyne wants people who have done a season+ who don't represent a gamble and know how to haul points consistently. Kobayashi still represents a gamble in this respect IMO
Sometimes gambles work though, and going to Lotus is a gamble for some of the more experienced drivers (a new team/car may be 2-3 years in the fruition, i.e. fully developed - at least that's what gascoine has said).
If they had someone to develop the car as Alonso did at Mclaren then I'd risk some new blood to go with it, to offset cost if nothing else.
If they had someone to develop the car as Alonso did at Mclaren then I'd risk some new blood to go with it, to offset cost if nothing else.
StevenJJ said:
Gascoyne has already said in an interview he wants 'experienced' drivers and is prepared to pay so despite his attacking performances I don't think he will be in at Lotus. In this context I think Gascoyne wants people who have done a season+ who don't represent a gamble and know how to haul points consistently. Kobayashi still represents a gamble in this respect IMO
I hope someone is willing to take that chance and give him a drive.andy_s said:
If they had someone to develop the car as Alonso did at Mclaren then I'd risk some new blood to go with it, to offset cost if nothing else.
WTF? What development did he bring to Mclaren exactly? The car was upto speed in the first race in 2007. I get fed up listening to this nonsense of what Alonso does behind the scenes - its like me claiming that Lewis devoloped the worsed Mclaren in years from being a dog to a winner. And thats with hardly any testing so does that make Lewis even more of a genious??.Its nonsense, the engineers and designers are doing the majority of the work.
Edited by Wanta996Gotta on Friday 6th November 16:37
Wanta996Gotta said:
andy_s said:
If they had someone to develop the car as Alonso did at Mclaren then I'd risk some new blood to go with it, to offset cost if nothing else.
WTF? What development did he bring to Mclaren exactly? The car was upto speed in the first race in 2007. I get fed up listening to this nonsense of what Alonso does behind the scenes - its like me claiming that Lewis devoloped the worsed Mclaren in years from being a dog to a winner. And thats with hardly any testing so does that make Lewis even more of a genious??.Its nonsense, the engineers and designers are doing the majority of the work.
Edited by Wanta996Gotta on Friday 6th November 16:37
I don't think Lotus will hire him. As others have pointed out, they want experienced drivers.
Campos and Manor, on the other hand, could be possible. If Toyota is willing to bankroll a drive for him (not necessarily sponsor him themselves, but perhaps link him up with Panasonic or one of the major partners), he could definitely get a drive somewhere. There is also the possibility that Sauber/Qadbak could slot themselves in as well.
Having said that, a combination of Hamilton and Kobayashi at McLaren could be extremely interesting to watch.
Campos and Manor, on the other hand, could be possible. If Toyota is willing to bankroll a drive for him (not necessarily sponsor him themselves, but perhaps link him up with Panasonic or one of the major partners), he could definitely get a drive somewhere. There is also the possibility that Sauber/Qadbak could slot themselves in as well.
Gaz. said:
He strikes me as a very honest and modest person, not many F1 drivers would say top flight drives are out of their league.
That was the first thing that stood out for me. The guy seems to have his head on straight. I'm not saying he can't be successful in a top flight team, but he has an unusually realistic attitude.Having said that, a combination of Hamilton and Kobayashi at McLaren could be extremely interesting to watch.
Edited by Jungles on Saturday 7th November 06:20
Project 644 said:
Wanta996Gotta said:
andy_s said:
If they had someone to develop the car as Alonso did at Mclaren then I'd risk some new blood to go with it, to offset cost if nothing else.
WTF? What development did he bring to Mclaren exactly? The car was upto speed in the first race in 2007. I get fed up listening to this nonsense of what Alonso does behind the scenes - its like me claiming that Lewis devoloped the worsed Mclaren in years from being a dog to a winner. And thats with hardly any testing so does that make Lewis even more of a genious??.Its nonsense, the engineers and designers are doing the majority of the work.
Edited by Wanta996Gotta on Friday 6th November 16:37
What exactly is he doing to develop the car that no-one else is doing?
I can see how an experienced driver can give slightly better feedback than a novice, but i don't think Alonso is that superhuman in his feedback that he makes a significant difference. At the end of the day its the engineers and designers who improve the car. I think any decent driver with a couple of seasons under thier belt are probably about the same.
I can see how an experienced driver can give slightly better feedback than a novice, but i don't think Alonso is that superhuman in his feedback that he makes a significant difference. At the end of the day its the engineers and designers who improve the car. I think any decent driver with a couple of seasons under thier belt are probably about the same.
Jungles said:
I don't think Lotus will hire him. As others have pointed out, they want experienced drivers.
Campos and Manor, on the other hand, could be possible. If Toyota is willing to bankroll a drive for him (not necessarily sponsor him themselves, but perhaps link him up with Panasonic or one of the major partners), he could definitely get a drive somewhere. There is also the possibility that Sauber/Qadbak could slot themselves in as well.
Having said that, a combination of Hamilton and Kobayashi at McLaren could be extremely interesting to watch.
+ 1. would be interesting to see how lewis reacts to a racer snapping at his heels.Campos and Manor, on the other hand, could be possible. If Toyota is willing to bankroll a drive for him (not necessarily sponsor him themselves, but perhaps link him up with Panasonic or one of the major partners), he could definitely get a drive somewhere. There is also the possibility that Sauber/Qadbak could slot themselves in as well.
Gaz. said:
He strikes me as a very honest and modest person, not many F1 drivers would say top flight drives are out of their league.
That was the first thing that stood out for me. The guy seems to have his head on straight. I'm not saying he can't be successful in a top flight team, but he has an unusually realistic attitude.Having said that, a combination of Hamilton and Kobayashi at McLaren could be extremely interesting to watch.
Edited by Jungles on Saturday 7th November 06:20
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