Kamui Kobayashi made headlines – and highlight reels – during his first stint in Formula One from 2009 through 2012. Now, as he prepares for his return to the sport with Caterham, he’s under no illusions about the difficulty of the task at hand.
“We’re all realistic about what we can actually achieve this year and until we’ve run the car properly at the tests it’s still too early to see where we are compared to the other teams, but whatever happens we have to move forwards this year,” he explained in a team release. “For me, it’s a chance to start again with a new team but one that’s serious about progressing. For the team, 2014 is the first chance to show what they can do with all the people and infrastructure they’ve built up in Leafield since moving there in 2012.”
Caterham has yet to score a point in its four full seasons of F1, the first two named Team Lotus before undergoing a name shift to Caterham ahead of the 2012 campaign. Kobayashi spent 2013 out of F1 but racing with Ferrari in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The upside of being named so close to the first day of testing, January 28 at Jerez, is that there’s a much shorter wait before actually getting in the car.
“I can’t wait to start work again. One of the benefits of making this announcement so close to the start of the tests means I only have a few days to wait to get back on track!” Kobayashi said. “Before then I’ll be at the factory as much as possible, working in the simulator and with everyone there to prepare as much as we can for the tests in Jerez and Bahrain. Physically and mentally I’m fully prepared, now I just want to get back to work!”
