In an interview with the media this morning, Caterham driver Kamui Kobayashi will get another chance to thank his supporters at Suzuka after Caterham confirmed he has retained his seat for the Japanese GP.
Kobayashi was forced to watch the Belgian Grand Prix from the sidelines with the Caterham team and his seat was handed to three-times Le Mans winner Andre Lotterer. However, he was back in the cockpit for the Italian and Singapore races, but the team did bring in Roberto Merhi for Free Practice One at Monza.
Kobayashi, though, will drive at his home track at Suzuka this weekend while Formula Renault 3.5 racer Merhi gets another Friday outing. In an interview with the media this morning, Kobayashi expressed his happiness at driving at his home race this weekend:-
‘I’m very excited to be back in front of all my Japanese fans and racing at Suzuka; I’ve been waiting for this race for over a year. The Japanese Grand Prix and Suzuka have always been very special for me: it’s where I experienced my first F1 Free Practice sessions back in 2009 and where I also achieved my first ever Formula 1 podium finish in 2012 and, this year, I am able to come back to Suzuka thanks to the support I received from my fans. This means a lot to me and I would like to thank them all once again.
‘I only have positive feelings going into this weekend. Unfortunately, this year I have to admit that I won’t be fighting for a podium, but I will do my best to reward my fans with a strong performance in order to thank them for their enormous support – I look forward to meeting them all there.’
It is clear that Kobayashi is extremely happy to be racing in front of his home fans and has been looking forward to racing in Suzuka. As Kobayashi points out, Suzuka is clearly a very special Grand Prix for him as it is where he first made his debut in FP1 in 2009 and achieved his first podium finish in Formula One. Alongside this, it is his home race and he will have the support of his home fans who have supported him and his career and also it will be a chance to thank them for their support.
Kobayashi feels confident about this weekend, even though he will not be fighting for a podium as he rightly says. But Kobayashi will do his best with the CT05 to put on a great show for his fans and achieve the best possible performance that he can.
There are also reports suggest that it is only a matter of time before the 23-year-old Merhi gets a full race weekend, but for now the Spaniard is happy to take part in FP1. In his interview with the media, Merhi is thankful once again for the opportunity to run in FP1 on Friday:-
‘I want to thank the team for this opportunity – after my first outing a month ago in Italy, I am now looking forward to another 90 minutes in the car. I will not be starting from zero like last time, so I will be able to get up to speed quicker. I have never driven in Japan, so I will need to learn the track at the same time as I continue to get used to the car, but it’s a dream come true to be able to drive at such a special track like Suzuka, I just can’t wait for it to be Friday!’
As Merhi states in his interview, he is more than happy to be back in the car in FP1 on Friday in Suzuka and will be looking forward to getting back into the car and gaining more experience with the car. As he points out, he does have experience with the CT05 now and will use this experience in order to learn the track and more about the car. And he will try and build upon what he has achieved in Monza and achieve the best possible performance he can from Suzuka.
But overall, most pundits and fans would agree with me in that it was imperative that Kobayashi raced in Suzuka this weekend. With this being Kobayashi’s home race, this would be the perfect opportunity for him to thank his fans for all their support and also would provide the perfect marketing opportunity for Caterham to gain from too.
If Kobayashi wouldn’t be racing this weekend, then I strongly feel that there would be a injustice to the many fans who will be coming out to support him and the many fans who donated to his fund in order to get him back into Formula One with the Caterham team this season.
But Caterham have realised that it is important for Kobayashi to race this weekend at his home Grand Prix and will be hoping just like he is for the best result that they can possibly achieve on the track. But no matter what happens this weekend, there is no doubt that Kobayashi will be doing everything possible to achieve the best result he can, in front of his home fans in order to thank them for all their continued support of his career. And I do hope that Kobayashi performs and can repay his fans with a great result this weekend, I really do.
