Kamui Kobayashi says GP2 car faster than his Caterham F1 machine
Kamui Kobayashi believes that a GP2 car would be quicker than his Caterham Formula 1 machine in its current state after two pre-season tests
The Japanese racer ended the first Bahrain F1 test with a best lap of 1m39.8s, which is four tenths of a second slower than last year's GP2 pole at the same circuit for 2013 champion Fabio Leimer.
While most Renault-powered teams are focusing on making their cars reliable at the moment, Kobayashi is keen to help Caterham find some more speed at next week's final pre-season test.
"We are not in race conditions here, but if we were in race conditions I think I should bring a GP2 car," Kobayashi told reporters in Bahrain.
"The lap time is still quicker in GP2. We need to work, but in this moment if we were to race, I think it's not Formula 1.
"When you look at the lap time, I need to be worried. I cannot be happy, but I have to think about what we can do.
"Time is very limited, and we need to think about reliability, but also performance. We have to try as much as we can."
The ex-Toyota and Sauber man added that he is not particularly interested in having to rely purely on reliability for Caterham to land more competitive results than it has experienced so far in F1.
When asked by AUTOSPORT if a slow car that was reliable could enable the team to score its first points, Kobayashi said: "I am not looking for that.
"I'm looking more for the potential for us to catch up. This is the most important part of why I am here.
"I'm not just thinking about finishing the race, of course I also need performance.
"This year is the biggest chance for this team.
"There is a lot of chance and possibility, but at the moment we are a little bit off the pace compared with the other teams on the development side."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
F1 2019 game includes official driver transfers for first time
F1 testing: Toro Rosso's Albon on top, Mercedes starts to show pace
Michael Schumacher's top 10 F1 victories
Ex-Caterham F1 boss Fernandes denies wrongdoing in Airbus bribery case
The F1 path from running Caterham to rehabilitating Renault
Ex-Caterham F1 employees finally get small sum after legal saga
Leclerc: Sainz simply doing a better job in recent F1 races
Alonso: Stroll more sensitive to Aston F1 car handling issues I drive around
Magazine: The potential shocks to come in F1's 2025 driver market
Williams may as well “go home” if spares situation changes its F1 approach, says Albon
What's been going wrong for Leclerc in F1's tiny margins qualifying game
What the Chinese GP's highlights reveal about its first F1 race for five years
The secrets of F1 turbocharging explained
Why Alpine’s rigorous training camp yields telling insights into its juniors
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments