Kamui Kobayashi | |
|---|---|
小林可夢偉 | |
 Kobayashi at the2024 6 Hours of Fuji | |
| Born | (1986-09-13)13 September 1986 (age 39) |
| Employers | |
| Title | Team Principal |
| FIA World Endurance Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2013 |
| Current team | Toyota |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Former teams | AF Corse |
| Starts | 77 |
| Championships | 2 (2019–20,2021) |
| Wins | 18 |
| Podiums | 47 |
| Poles | 21 |
| Fastest laps | 14 |
| Best finish | 1st in2019–20 (LMP1),2021 (LMH) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Japanese |
| Active years | 2009–2012,2014 |
| Teams | Toyota,BMW Sauber,Sauber,Caterham |
| Car number | 10 |
| Entries | 76 (75 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Careerpoints | 125 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| First entry | 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
| Super Formula career | |
| Debut season | 2011 |
| Current team | KCMG |
| Car number | 7 |
| Former teams | Le Mans |
| Starts | 77 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 7 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 7 |
| Best finish | 6th in2015,2019 |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 2013,2016–2024 |
| Teams | AF Corse,Toyota |
| Best finish | 1st(2021) |
| Class wins | 1(2021) |
| Previous series | |
| Championship titles | |
Kamui Kobayashi (Japanese:小林可夢偉,Hepburn:Kobayashi Kamui; born 13 September 1986) is a Japaneseracing driver andmotorsport executive, who competes in theFIA World Endurance Championship forToyota and inSuper Formula forKCMG. Kobayashi competed inFormula One from2009 to2014. Inendurance racing, Kobayashi has won twoFIA World Endurance Championship titles, and won the24 Hours of Le Mans in2021, all with Toyota; he is also a two-time winner of the24 Hours of Daytona in2019 and2020 withWTR. Since 2022, Kobayashi has served as team principal of Toyota in WEC, winning three consecutiveWorld Manufacturers' Championship titles from2022 to2024.
He also serves as team principal forToyota Gazoo Racing Europe for theirFIA World Endurance Championship team. Kobayashi previously competed inFormula One,Formula E, theGP2 Series, and theGP2 Asia Series. He became champion of theFIA World Endurance Championship alongside co-driversMike Conway andJosé María López in the2019–20 season and in2021, where he also won the2021 24 Hours of Le Mans.[citation needed]
Kobayashi is the third FIA world champion from Japan afterToshi Arai andKazuki Nakajima, and became the thirdAsian-born driver after countrymenAguri Suzuki andTakuma Satō to score aFormula One podium finish at the2012 Japanese Grand Prix.[citation needed]
Kobayashi was born inAmagasaki inHyōgo Prefecture, nearKobe. His father owns asushi restaurant.[1] He began his career in motorsport in 1996 when he was nine years old, finishing third in his first season ofkarting in theSL Takarazuka Tournament Cadet Class. During the following seven years, Kobayashi took four karting titles, winning theToyota SL All Japan Tournament Cadet Class series twice.[citation needed]
In 2004, he signed for Toyota's Driver Academy and soon began his career inopen wheel racing. His next step wasFormula Renault, entering theAsian,German,Italian andDutch championships and taking two race victories in the Italian championship. Kobayashi continued in theFormula Renault class, entering the Italian and European championships and with six wins in both championships, he won both titles.[citation needed]
In 2006, Kobayashi entered theFormula 3 Euro Series withASM Formule 3 alongsidePaul di Resta,Giedo van der Garde andSebastian 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 theMacau Grand Prix and theMasters of Formula 3, which are annual Formula Three events. Kobayashi started in 10th place and finished the race a place lower in 11th, while at the Macau Grand Prix, he started the race inpole position but finished in 19th place.[citation needed]
At the beginning of 2007, Kobayashi, along withKōhei Hirate, was named as one of theToyota 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 atMagny-Cours, in the tenth round, a support race for theFormula OneFrench Grand Prix. Kobayashi finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship.[citation needed]
Following a successfulGP2 Asia Series campaign in early 2008, Kobayashi won his firstGP2 Series race in only the second race of the season. After a strong start from pole in the sprint race at theCircuit de Catalunya, Kobayashi took the chequered flag in first place. This was after a controversial piece of defensive driving from his former Euro Series teammateRomain 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.
On 16 November 2007, it was confirmed that Kobayashi would replace the departingFranck Montagny as the Toyota F1 team's third driver.[2] He was the team's test and reserve driver during the2008 and2009 seasons.
At the2009 Japanese Grand Prix, Kobayashi competed in the first two free practice sessions in place ofTimo Glock, who was ill.[3] 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 theFédération 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.[4]
Kobayashi made his Formula One debut at the2009 Brazilian Grand Prix, following a complication to Glock's injury that was initially not detected.[5] 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 byJenson Button, who needed to finish well to clinch the world championship. He finished the race in tenth place, and was later promoted to ninth whenHeikki Kovalainen was penalised. Button jokingly described Kobayashi as "absolutely crazy, very aggressive".[6] He also competed in the2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as Glock's injury had not healed sufficiently.[7] Kobayashi qualified twelfth and finished sixth, scoring his first World Championship points, in the inaugural day-night race in Abu Dhabi.[8]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.[9]
.jpg)
.jpg)
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.[10] After weeks of speculation, it was confirmed on 17 December 2009, he would drive forSauber for the 2010 season. Despite the team having been sold by BMW back to founderPeter Sauber after the 2009 season, and no longer using BMW components, the team was still namedBMW Sauber as it had been known for the past four seasons.[11] His teammate was formerMcLaren testerPedro de la Rosa. Kobayashi completed his first laps in the newSauber C29 chassis during F1 winter testing on 2 February.
During theAustralian Grand Prix, a front wing failure on his Sauber caused him to hit the barrier, rebounding off it to cause a three-car crash taking outNico Hülkenberg andSébastien Buemi. In the next race inMalaysia he qualified in ninth place, his best grid position up to that point, however he suffered an engine failure early in the race. InChina, Kobayashi was involved in a three-way collision with Buemi andVitantonio Liuzzi on the first lap, making him the only driver to retire from the first four races. InTurkey, 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. InValencia, he finished seventh by passing bothFernando Alonso andSébastien 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 inSilverstone, eleventh inGermany, ninth inHungary and eighth inBelgium.
At theItalian Grand Prix, Kobayashi suffered a gearbox failure and retired from theSingapore Grand Prix after hitting a track-side barrier. Kobayashi's teammate changed in Singapore asPedro de la Rosa was removed in favour ofNick Heidfeld. InJapan, Kobayashi qualified 14th and finished seventh, passing several drivers along the way including his teammate, in a very impressive fashion. He finished eighth inKorea and tenth inBrazil, eventually finishing the season with 32 points. In his review of the season, former TV commentatorMurray Walker stated that Kobayashi is "without a doubt Japan's best [F1 driver] yet".[12] 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 byMartin 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!"[13] He qualified well against his more experienced teammates, outqualifying de la Rosa and Heidfeld eleven times to eight over the season.
Kobayashi remained with Sauber (renamed from BMW Sauber to Sauber F1 Team) in2011,[14] where he was partnered by GP2 graduateSergio Pérez. Kobayashi finished eighth in the season openingAustralian Grand Prix, but he and Pérez – 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 inMalaysia was another strong showing for Kobayashi, finishing eighth in the race, eventually classified seventh afterLewis 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 wetCanadian Grand Prix, 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.
On 28 July 2011, it was announced that Kobayashi would remain with Sauber into the2012 season, alongside teammate Pérez.[15]
Kobayashi started the season with sixth place at theAustralian Grand Prix,[16] and a retirement at theMalaysian Grand Prix, due to a problem with his car's brakes.[17]
He then started third at theChinese Grand Prix behind the Mercedes ofNico Rosberg andMichael Schumacher. He dropped to tenth but managed to set the fastest lap. At theSpanish Grand Prix he finished fifth after overtaking Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg. Kobayashi finished in the points once in the next four races, finishing ninth inCanada. Kobayashi finished in a then-career-best fourth place at theGerman Grand Prix – having finished fifth on-the-road – as he was helped by a post-race penalty for second-placedSebastian Vettel.[18] After retiring late in the race at theHungarian Grand Prix, Kobayashi qualified a career-best second for theBelgian Grand Prix 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.[19]
Kobayashi took his maiden podium in Formula One with third place at theJapanese Grand Prix, 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, afterAguri Suzuki in the1990 Japanese Grand Prix, and was the third Japanese driver to finish on a Formula One podium after Suzuki andTakuma Sato in the2004 United States Grand Prix.[20]
On 23 November 2012, Sauber announced that Kobayashi would not be a part of the team's line-up for the2013 season, asNico Hülkenberg andEsteban Gutiérrez would form the race team andRobin Frijns as reserve driver.[21] Kobayashi ultimately finished the season in twelfth place in the Drivers' Championship, with sixty points.[22] Despite raising around€8 million in sponsorship, Kobayashi elected to focus on gaining a competitive drive for the2014 season rather than a2013 drive.[23]
.jpg)
On 11 March 2013 it was confirmed that Kobayashi would drive forAF Corse in the2013 FIA World Endurance Championship season. He competed in the LMGTE-Pro class in theFerrari 458 GT for what is expected to be all of the season's eight rounds, including the2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.[24]
Kobayashi also tested a2010 Formula One Ferrari in preparation for a promotional event in Moscow, where he crashed in the wet.[25][26]
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-driversOlivier Beretta andToni Vilander, their Ferrari 458 GT covered a total of 312 laps in theCircuit de la Sarthe. The race was run in very difficult weather conditions and several serious accidents bringing out a record of twelvesafety car caution periods.[27][28][29]
On 21 January 2014, it was confirmed that Kobayashi would return to Formula One with theCaterham F1 team for the 2014 season partnering Swedish driverMarcus Ericsson after considerable speculation about the team's all new line-up for the new season.[30]At the first race of the season, theAustralian Grand Prix, Kobayashi crashed into Massa at the start due to a brake failure. However, in the followingMalaysian Grand Prix, 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 toJules Bianchi achievingMarussia's first points finish in theMonaco Grand Prix.[31]
On 20 August 2014, it was announced that German driverAndré Lotterer would replace Kobayashi for theBelgian Grand Prix race weekend.[32] He returned to racing action at theItalian Grand Prix after Lotterer declined a further offer due to the seat being taken in practice byRoberto Merhi, who was attempting to qualify for anFIA Super Licence.[33] Kobayashi declared his unhappiness at the situation, with the team's driver plans changing at short notice and his own future uncertain.[34]
Kobayashi returned to the wheel of aFormula One car in June 2025 after eleven years, driving theHaas VF-23 for theHaas F1 Team atCircuit Paul Ricard.[35] The test is due to Haas' close ties with Kobayashi'sWEC team,Toyota Gazoo Racing, withToyota willing to give Kobayashi an opportunity to test a modern Formula One car.[36]
On 30 January 2015, it was confirmed that Kobayashi would drive for Team LeMans in the2015 Super Formula season.[37] 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 toKCMG at the start of the2017 season.[38] Kobayashi stayed in the team for over seven years, where he clinched 4 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 wereYuichi Nakayama for 2020, andKazuto Kotaka for 2021.[39][40] Kobayashi then continued to race with KCMG, and he clinched his first podium since 2019 with third place at Fuji Speedway in 2024.
Kobayashi made his one off debut in Super GT GT500 class withRacing Project Bandoh in 2017. Kobayashi made full season debut in 2018, as he raced withSARD alongside former F1 driver and the series championHeikki Kovalainen.[41]
On 4 February 2016, Kobayashi was confirmed as a LMP1 driver forToyota Gazoo Racing in theFIA World Endurance Championship.
Kobayashi scored his first WEC race victory at the2016 6 Hours of Fuji, finishing ahead of the No. 8Audi and the No. 1Porsche.[42]
In 2017 he achieved the current lap record at theCircuit de la Sarthe with a lap time of 3:14.791.[43]
Kobayashi won the2021 24 Hours of Le Mans from pole after numerous attempts, alongsideMike Conway andJose Maria Lopez. Kobayashi is the fourthJapanese driver to win the24 Hours of Le Mans, the first beingMasanori Sekiya, and is only the second to do so for aJapanese 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.[44]
.jpg)
On 7 June 2023, it was announced that Kobayashi would make his debut in theNASCAR Cup Series driving the No. 67Toyota Camry for23XI Racing at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway road course. At Indy, he finished 33rd.[45]
In 2024, Kobayashi would return to the NASCAR Cup Series and race again for 23XI Racing atCircuit of the Americas for the2024 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, he finished 29th.[46]
He was named afterKamuy, a divine being in Ainu mythology, and the letter of the name imitated the sound citing threeKanji from the sentence "Enabling great dream(s)".[47]
In April 2013, he was awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Sport Award atThe Asian Awards in London.[48]
* Season still in progress.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics 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 | VLL 1 Ret | VLL 2 10 | VAR 7 | MAG 3 | SPA 1 6 | SPA 2 9 | MNZ1 1 18 | MNZ1 2 10 | MNZ1 3 6 | MIS 1 1 | MIS 2 1 | MIS 3 13 | ADR 8 | HOC 1 4 | HOC 2 24 | MNZ2 1 4 | MNZ2 2 12 | 7th | 134 |
| 2005 | Prema Powerteam | VLL 1 Ret | VLL 2 1 | IMO 1 1 | IMO 2 1 | SPA 1 3 | SPA 2 2 | MNZ1 1 1 | MNZ1 2 3 | MNZ1 3 1 | MUG 1 | MUG 2 | MIS 1 6 | MIS 2 2 | MIS 3 5 | VAR 4 | MNZ2 1 1 | MNZ2 2 2 | 1st | 254 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics 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 | ZOL 1 Ret | ZOL 2 14 | VAL 1 2 | VAL 2 4 | LMS 1 1 | LMS 2 5 | BIL 1 5 | BIL 2 Ret | OSC 1 1 | OSC 2 4 | DON 1 1 | DON 2 1 | EST 1 1 | EST 2 4 | MNZ 1 1 | MNZ 2 3 | 1st | 157 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics 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 | HOC 1 6 | HOC 2 5 | LAU 1 11 | LAU 2 10 | OSC 1 11 | OSC 2 7 | BRH 1 6 | BRH 2 3 | NOR 1 5 | NOR 2 2 | NÜR 1 8 | NÜR 2 3 | ZAN 1 5 | ZAN 2 Ret | CAT 1 5 | CAT 2 Ret | BUG 1 DNS | BUG 2 14 | HOC 1 Ret | HOC 2 9 | 8th | 34 |
| 2007 | ASM Formule 3 | Dallara F305/012 | Mercedes | HOC 1 10 | HOC 2 10 | BRH 1 3 | BRH 2 3 | NOR 1 8 | NOR 2 Ret | MAG 1 1 | MAG 2 9 | MUG 1 2 | MUG 2 4 | ZAN 1 2 | ZAN 2 17 | NÜR 1 11 | NÜR 2 Ret | CAT 1 19 | CAT 2 Ret | NOG 1 2 | NOG 2 2 | HOC 1 4 | HOC 2 Ret | 4th | 59 |
| 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 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics 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 | CAT FEA 8 | CAT SPR 1 | IST FEA Ret | IST SPR 9 | MON FEA Ret | MON SPR Ret | MAG FEA Ret | MAG SPR 9 | SIL FEA Ret | SIL SPR 7 | HOC FEA Ret | HOC SPR 18 | HUN FEA 11 | HUN SPR 8 | VAL FEA Ret | VAL SPR 6 | SPA FEA 9 | SPA SPR 14 | MNZ FEA Ret | MNZ SPR 13 | 16th | 10 |
| 2009 | DAMS | CAT FEA 8 | CAT SPR 5 | MON FEA Ret | MON SPR 12 | IST FEA Ret | IST SPR NC | SIL FEA Ret | SIL SPR 17 | NÜR FEA 9 | NÜR SPR 3 | HUN FEA 13 | HUN SPR 8 | VAL FEA 8 | VAL SPR 11 | SPA FEA 7 | SPA SPR 11 | MNZ FEA 17 | MNZ SPR 17† | ALG FEA 6 | ALG SPR 19 | 16th | 13 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | DAMS | DUB1 FEA 13 | DUB1 SPR Ret | SEN FEA DNS | SEN SPR 15 | SEP FEA 5 | SEP SPR 1 | BHR FEA 3 | BHR SPR 1 | DUB2 FEA 20 | DUB2 SPR 14 | 6th | 22 | ||
| 2008–09 | DAMS | SHI FEA 2 | SHI SPR Ret | DUB FEA 1 | DUB SPR C | BHR1 FEA 1 | BHR1 SPR 6 | LSL FEA 4 | LSL SPR 18 | SEP FEA 2 | SEP SPR 7 | BHR2 FEA 4 | BHR2 SPR 5 | 1st | 56 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | PanasonicToyota Racing | ToyotaTF109 | Toyota RVX-09 2.4V8 | AUS | MAL | CHN | BHR | ESP | MON | TUR | GBR | GER | HUN | EUR | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN PO | BRA 9 | ABU 6 | 18th | 3 | |||
| 2010 | BMW Sauber F1 Team | SauberC29 | Ferrari 056 2.4V8 | BHR Ret | AUS Ret | MAL Ret | CHN Ret | ESP 12 | MON Ret | TUR 10 | CAN Ret | EUR 7 | GBR 6 | GER 11 | HUN 9 | BEL 8 | ITA Ret | SIN Ret | JPN 7 | KOR 8 | BRA 10 | ABU 14 | 12th | 32 | |
| 2011 | Sauber F1 Team | SauberC30 | Ferrari 056 2.4V8 | AUS DSQ | MAL 7 | CHN 10 | TUR 10 | ESP 10 | MON 5 | CAN 7 | EUR 16 | GBR Ret | GER 9 | HUN 11 | BEL 12 | ITA Ret | SIN 14 | JPN 13 | KOR 15 | IND Ret | ABU 10 | BRA 9 | 12th | 30 | |
| 2012 | Sauber F1 Team | SauberC31 | Ferrari 056 2.4V8 | AUS 6 | MAL Ret | CHN 10 | BHR 13 | ESP 5 | MON Ret | CAN 9 | EUR Ret | GBR 11 | GER 4 | HUN 18† | BEL 13 | ITA 9 | SIN 13 | JPN 3 | KOR Ret | IND 14 | ABU 6 | USA 14 | BRA 9 | 12th | 60 |
| 2014 | Caterham F1 Team | CaterhamCT05 | Renault Energy F1‑2014 1.6V6t | AUS Ret | MAL 13 | BHR 15 | CHN 18 | ESP Ret | MON 13 | CAN Ret | AUT 16 | GBR 15 | GER 16 | HUN Ret | BEL | ITA 17 | SIN DNS | JPN 19 | RUS Ret | USA | BRA | ABU Ret | 22nd | 0 | |
† Did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 |  AF Corse |  Toni Vilander Olivier Beretta | Ferrari 458 Italia GT | GTE Pro | 312 | 20th | 5th |
| 2016 | Toyota Gazoo Racing |  Mike ConwayStéphane Sarrazin | Toyota TS050 Hybrid | LMP1 | 381 | 2nd | 2nd |
| 2017 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Mike ConwayStéphane 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 ConwayJosé María López | Toyota TS050 Hybrid | LMP1 | 385 | 2nd | 2nd |
| 2020 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Mike ConwayJosé María López | Toyota TS050 Hybrid | LMP1 | 381 | 3rd | 3rd |
| 2021 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Mike ConwayJosé María López | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Hypercar | 371 | 1st | 1st |
| 2022 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Mike ConwayJosé María López | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Hypercar | 380 | 2nd | 2nd |
| 2023 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Mike ConwayJosé 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 ConwayNyck de Vries | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Hypercar | 386 | 5th | 5th |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Kygnus Sunoco Team LeMans | Toyota | SUZ 9 | OKA 2 | FUJ 10 | MOT 17 | AUT 3 | SUG 6 | SUZ 3 | SUZ 9 | 6th | 20 | ||||
| 2016 | Sunoco Team LeMans | Toyota | SUZ 16 | OKA 18 | FUJ 10 | MOT 9 | OKA 18 | OKA 17 | SUG 17 | SUZ 9 | SUZ 7 | 17th | 1 | |||
| 2017 | KCMG | Toyota | SUZ 9 | OKA 4 | OKA 5 | FUJ 15 | MOT 2 | AUT 7 | SUG 7 | SUZ C | SUZ C | 7th | 16.5 | |||
| 2018 | carrozzeria Team KCMG | Toyota | SUZ 10 | AUT C | SUG 6 | FUJ 12 | MOT | OKA 2‡ | SUZ 13 | 10th | 11 | |||||
| 2019 | carrozzeria Team KCMG | Toyota | SUZ 9 | AUT 10 | SUG 2 | FUJ 6 | MOT 2 | OKA 18 | SUZ 12 | 6th | 19 | |||||
| 2020 | carrozzeria Team KCMG | Toyota | MOT 14 | OKA | SUG 14 | AUT | SUZ 4 | SUZ 15 | FUJ 11 | 16th | 8 | |||||
| 2021 | carrozzeria Team KCMG | Toyota | FUJ | SUZ | AUT | SUG | MOT | MOT 10 | SUZ | 20th | 1 | |||||
| 2022 | KCMG | Toyota | FUJ 18 | FUJ 9 | SUZ 5 | AUT Ret | SUG 17 | FUJ 14 | MOT 14 | MOT 17 | SUZ 18 | SUZ 10 | 17th | 9 | ||
| 2023 | Kids com Team KCMG | Toyota | FUJ Ret | FUJ 6 | SUZ 14 | AUT 11 | SUG 6 | FUJ 9 | MOT 7 | SUZ 8‡ | SUZ 17 | 11th | 17.5 | |||
| 2024 | Kids com Team KCMG | Toyota | SUZ 19† | AUT 10 | SUG 10‡ | FUJ 8 | MOT 12 | FUJ 3 | FUJ 5 | SUZ 14 | SUZ 10 | 10th | 22.5 | |||
| 2025 | Kids com Team KCMG | Toyota | SUZ 5 | SUZ 9 | MOT | MOT | AUT 7 | FUJ 22 | FUJ 4 | SUG 19 | FUJ 14 | SUZ 15 | SUZ 15 | SUZ 15 | 13th | 21 |
‡ 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.
| 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 4 | CHA | MOT | 17th | 10 |
| 2018 | Lexus Team SARD | Lexus LC 500 | GT500 | OKA 12 | FUJ | SUZ Ret | CHA 1 | FUJ 11 | SUG 10 | AUT 8 | MOT 8 | 13th | 27 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics 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 | SparkSRT01-e | Andretti ATEC-03 | HKG 15 | HKG 17 | MRK | SCL | MEX | PDE | RME | PAR | BER | ZUR | NYC | NYC | 24th | 0 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | No. | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Konica Minolta Cadillac | 10 | DPi | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | DAY 1 | SEB | LBH | MDO | DET | WGL | MOS | ELK | LGA | PET | 27th | 35 | ||
| 2020 | Konica Minolta Cadillac | 10 | DPi | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | DAY 1 | DAY | SEB | ELK | ATL | MDO | PET | LGA | SEB | 23rd | 35 | |||
| 2021 | Ally Cadillac Racing | 48 | DPi | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | DAY 2 | SEB 7 | MDO | DET | WGL 5 | WGL | ELK | LGA | LBH | PET 4 | 12th | 1203 | ||
| 2022 | Ally Cadillac | 48 | DPi | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | DAY 5 | SEB 6 | LBH | LGA | MDO | DET | WGL 6 | PET 3 | 11th | 1146 | ||||
| VasserSullivan | 14 | GTD Pro | Lexus RC F GT3 | Toyota 2UR 5.0 LV8 | MOS 6 | LIM | ELK | VIR | 28th | 276 | |||||||||
| 2025 | Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing | GTP | Cadillac V-Series.R | Cadillac LMC55R 5.5 L V8 | DAY 11 | SEB | LBH | LGA | DET | WGL | ELK | IMS | PET | 40th | 223 | ||||
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| 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 | NCSC | 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 | IRC 33 | GLN | DAY | DAR | KAN | BRI | TEX | TAL | ROV | LVS | HOM | MAR | PHO | 63rd | 01 | [50] |
| 2024 | 50 | DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | BRI | COA 29 | 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 | [51] | ||
Kobayashi's result equalled the best ever finish for Japanese drivers in Formula 1 – achieved by Aguri Suzuki at Suzuka in 1990 and Takuma Sato at Indianapolis in 2004.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Italian Formula Renault Champion 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Eurocup Formula Renault Champion 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | GP2 Asia Series Champion 2008–09 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | World Endurance Drivers Champion 2019–20,2021 With:Mike Conway &José María López | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2021 With:Mike Conway &José María López | Succeeded by |
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by | Autosport Awards Rookie of the Year 2010 | Succeeded by |
|
|
| FIA Formula 2 Championship |
|
|---|---|
| FIA Formula 3 Championship |
|
| Vehicles |
|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
