Comments on: Rumors suggest Kobayashi might be off to Renault for 2010

By: JD

JD — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:59:06 +0000

Interestingly, Kobayashi and Kubica followed similar paths in their early careers. However, Kubica was more successful in each step of the ladder and ended up in F1 relatively earlier (he is 2 years older also). Then they both showed up their more experienced teammates in their early F1 races.

If Kobayashi ends up at a continuing Renault F1 team, it will be an interesting comparison to Kubica.

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:22:16 +0000

I think the best thing about him going to Renault would be the possibility of him show up his nasally enhanced teammate Kubica

By: Frenchie

Frenchie — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:17:01 +0000

Kobayashi gets to drive for the Nissan F1 team?

That would make a lot of sense.

Most of you will know Nissan is owned by Renault. Nissan is known for its sporty cars (Z, GT-R) and Renault’s Carlos Ghosn is having issues with F1′a (or lack of) green credentials.

I’m sure this would also make a lot of sense to Panasonic and KDDI.

By: JD

JD — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:16:32 +0000

If Toyota were serious about seeing Kobayashi succeed, they need to sell their F1 team so it can continue. This is the organization he has been a part of and he knows the car and crew. It would be a relatively seamless transition to a full time F1 ride.

In contrast, Renault just came off its worst season in a long time, and there’s no telling how or if they will recover. Kubica is used to driving a dog of a car from last year’s BMW and in ‘07 when the car was built for Heidfeld. Besides, Kubica’s reputation could probably take a beating for a year and he can continue in F1 somewhere else.

We know Kobayashi can drive a good car. But what if Renault builds another pig? If Renault struggles and suffers as a result, there’s no telling if his F1 career will survive. That’s a lot of pressure to place on a rookie.

Kobayashi would be better off at a new team where there’s less pressure. Or like I said, Toyota needs to sell their team rather than mothball it.

By: Lionel

Lionel — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:23:15 +0000

If I were Toyota principals back in Tpkyo, I would write out a £15,000,000 cheque, hand it over to Renault and have Kobayasj=hi in the second Seat. That would be a wise investment and more manageable from the usual annual £200million invested in an F1 team. With Kobayashi in Renault, everytime he gets mentioned, so would Toyota. So Toyota would in effect still participate in F1 for a few more years without actually participating… and save a bundle in the process.