Kamui Kobayashi Bio
Kamui Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林可夢偉, Hepburn: Kobayashi Kamui; born 13 September 1986) is a Japanese racing driver and motorsport executive who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota and in Super Formula for KCMG. He competed in Formula One from 2009 to 2014 and is a two-time FIA World Endurance Championship titleholder, a 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, and a two-time 24 Hours of Daytona winner. Since 2022, he has also served as team principal of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s WEC programme, guiding the manufacturer to three consecutive World Manufacturers’ Championship titles from 2022 to 2024.
Early Life and Background
Kamui Kobayashi was born in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, near Kobe, Japan, on 13 September 1986. His father owns a sushi restaurant. He began his motorsport career in 1996 at the age of nine, finishing third in his first season of karting at the SL Takarazuka Tournament Cadet Class. Over the following seven years, he collected four karting titles, including two in the Toyota SL All Japan Tournament Cadet Class series.
Kobayashi’s first name was inspired by Kamuy, a divine being in Ainu mythology, with the characters drawn from a phrase meaning “Enabling great dream(s).” He joined Toyota’s Driver Academy in 2004 and quickly moved into open-wheel racing through the Formula Renault ladder, racing in the Asian, German, Italian, and Dutch championships and taking two victories in the Italian series. He went on to win both the Italian and European Formula Renault championships with six wins in each.
Path to NASCAR
Before reaching NASCAR, Kobayashi built a long international résumé through Toyota’s young driver programme. In 2006 he debuted in the Formula 3 Euro Series with ASM Formule 3 alongside future Formula One drivers Paul di Resta, Giedo van der Garde, and Sebastian Vettel, finishing eighth overall and first in the Rookie classification. In 2007 he became a Toyota Formula One test and reserve driver, while still racing in Formula 3.
He progressed into the GP2 Asia Series and the main GP2 Series with Campos Grand Prix, then joined the Formula One grid with Toyota in 2009 before moving to Sauber in 2010. After spells in Formula One with Sauber and Caterham and in endurance racing with AF Corse and Toyota, Kobayashi made his NASCAR Cup Series debut on 7 June 2023, driving the No. 67 Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, where he finished 33rd. He returned to 23XI Racing in 2024 at the Circuit of the Americas, finishing 29th in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.
Kamui Kobayashi Career
Early Career (2004–2008)
Kobayashi’s early single-seater career was anchored by Toyota’s Driver Academy, where he progressed through Formula Renault and Formula 3 Euro Series competition. In his 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series rookie season with ASM Formule 3, he claimed three podium finishes and the Rookie Championship. He added his first Formula 3 race victory at Magny-Cours in 2007 and ended that year fourth in the Drivers’ Championship.
By 2007, Toyota had also named him one of its Formula One test drivers. In the GP2 Asia Series he earned victories that carried him into the main GP2 Series, where he won the sprint race at the Circuit de Catalunya in 2008 after a late penalty for former rival Romain Grosjean. A second GP2 Asia Series title followed over the 2008–2009 winter.
Formula One Breakthrough (2009–2014)
Kobayashi made his Formula One debut at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix with Toyota, finishing ninth after holding off Jenson Button’s early charge. He scored his first World Championship points with sixth place at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix later that season. After Toyota withdrew from Formula One, he joined Sauber for 2010, where his aggressive overtaking style earned praise from commentators Martin Brundle and Murray Walker.
Remaining with Sauber for 2011 and 2012 alongside Sergio Pérez, Kobayashi produced several standout drives, including a seventh-place finish at the rain-affected 2011 Canadian Grand Prix and a then career-best fourth at the 2012 German Grand Prix. His defining Formula One moment came at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix, where he took third place for his maiden podium finish and became the first Japanese driver to score a Formula One podium at home in 22 years. He left Sauber at the end of 2012 and returned to Formula One in 2014 with Caterham, partnering Marcus Ericsson. After a brake-failure crash at the Australian Grand Prix, he scored a strong recovery in Malaysia and was replaced by André Lotterer at the Belgian Grand Prix before returning at Monza.
Endurance Racing Breakthrough (2013–2021)
Kobayashi entered sports car racing with AF Corse in the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship, driving a Ferrari 458 GT in the LMGTE-Pro class and finishing fifth in the GTE-Pro class at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans. He returned to the WEC’s top class with Toyota Gazoo Racing from 2016, claiming his first WEC race victory at the 6 Hours of Fuji.
In endurance racing he established himself as one of Japan’s greatest sportscar drivers. Alongside co-drivers Mike Conway and José María López, he won the 2019–20 FIA World Endurance Championship and added a second title in 2021. That same year, he won the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans from pole position, becoming the fourth Japanese driver to win Le Mans and the second to do so for a Japanese manufacturer. He is also a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2019 and 2020 with Wayne Taylor Racing.
Super Formula and NASCAR Era (2015–Present)
Kobayashi joined Team LeMans for the 2015 Super Formula season, scoring three podiums on his way to fifth in the championship. He switched to KCMG from 2017, collecting four second-place finishes over seven seasons before returning to the podium with third place at Fuji Speedway in 2024. He also raced in Super Formula’s GT500 class in 2018 with SARD alongside Heikki Kovalainen.
His NASCAR Cup Series career began in 2023 with 23XI Racing in the No. 67 Toyota Camry at Indianapolis, followed by a 2024 outing at Circuit of the Americas. In June 2025 he returned to a Formula One cockpit for the first time in eleven years, testing the Haas VF-23 at Circuit Paul Ricard thanks to Toyota’s close ties with Haas.
Driving Style and Strengths
Kobayashi is best known for his aggressive overtaking style, often outbraking rivals several car lengths before the apex. In endurance racing, he has formed long-term partnerships with co-drivers Conway and López, with Toyota’s strategic strength playing to his consistency over long stints.
Notable Races and Milestones
His signature races include the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix podium, the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans victory from pole, and his 2019 and 2020 24 Hours of Daytona wins with Wayne Taylor Racing.
Kamui Kobayashi Career Wins
Kobayashi’s career win portfolio spans single-seaters, endurance racing, and stock cars. He has secured two FIA World Endurance Championship titles, the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans, two 24 Hours of Daytona victories, a GP2 Asia Series championship, and Italian and European Formula Renault titles.
FIA World Endurance Championship Highlights
Kobayashi has two WEC titles, both won with Toyota alongside Mike Conway and José María López in the 2019–20 and 2021 seasons. His most recent WEC title came in 2021, the same year he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans from pole position. He also holds the lap record at the Circuit de la Sarthe with a time of 3:14.791 set in 2017.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside the WEC, Kobayashi won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2019 and 2020 with Wayne Taylor Racing and added an Outstanding Achievement in Sport Award at The Asian Awards in London in April 2013.
Kamui Kobayashi Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Kobayashi was raised in Amagasaki near Kobe, the son of a father who owns a sushi restaurant. His progression through Toyota’s Driver Academy connected him directly to one of Japan’s strongest manufacturer pipelines in motorsport.
Personal Life
Since 2022, Kobayashi has served as team principal of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s WEC programme, combining that executive role with his active driving duties.
2025 Season Performance
Kamui Kobayashi’s 2025 schedule is anchored by his dual role as Toyota WEC driver and team principal. The manufacturer is chasing a fourth consecutive World Manufacturers’ Championship title, with Kobayashi continuing alongside long-time co-drivers Mike Conway and José María López in the No. 7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid.
In Super Formula, Kobayashi races for KCMG with the No. 10 entry and returned to the podium with third place at Fuji Speedway in 2024, building momentum into the new campaign. He also returned to a Formula One cockpit in June 2025, completing a test in the Haas VF-23 at Circuit Paul Ricard as part of Toyota’s collaboration with the Haas F1 Team.
With Toyota’s WEC programme seeking another manufacturers’ crown and KCMG pushing forward in Super Formula, Kobayashi enters 2025 balancing driver and management duties while continuing to expand his résumé across global motorsport.