Q:
What does your home race mean to you?

Kamui Kobayashi:
Returning to race in Japan as a Formula 1 driver means a lot to me. I had a taste of it last year whe💦n I stepped in for Timo Glock at Toyota for the Friday practice sessions. This was at short notice, but for this year's race a lot of supporters are going to be there. There has been a "Kamui Kobayashi" fans corner set up between turns two and three. It has more than 2000 seats and has been s🃏old out for quite a while. I managed to buy tickets for friends and I hope they will be having fun.

Q:
What are your expectations 💙for the race in Suzuka?

Kamui Kobayashi:
After a good qualifying the outcome of the race in Singapore was, of course, disappointing for me. I hope in Suzuka we have reason to be happy🔜 on both Saturday and on Sunday. We all think the circuit should suit our car pretty well.

Q:
When was your last race in Japan?

Kamui Kobayashi:
I didn't do a lotꦗ of racing in Japan and the last race was long ago. It was in 2003 with Formula T꧟oyota on the short track in Suzuka, not on the Grand Prix circuit. I was 17 years old then.

Q:
What is the diffe🍎re🍎nce between racing in Japan and Europe?

Kamui Kobayashi:
It is huge and I think this is because Europe has all the history in motor racing. You have plenty of smaller racing series which provide for good driver development. Anyone who has attended a Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix knows about the excitement and passion the people have for it. But it is also true it is not easy for Japanese people to follow Formula 1 because the Europea🐲n rac𝕴es are broadcast live relatively late at night.

Q:
Have you ever felt home sick?

Kamui Kobayashi:
No. Of course it was strange when I first came to Europe, actually to Vicenza in Italy, because I didn't even speak English and everything was completely🥀 different. But it was also a lot of fun!

Q:
But didn't you miss your pare✃nts 🉐and your younger sister?

Kamui Kobayashi:
This seems to be very difficult to understand for Europeans, but for Japanese it is not that unusual to leave your family and go to work elsewhere. Even when I was doing things in Japan I rarely met my family. Most times I went to Tokyo and they still 🐬live in Amagasaki, whic💖h is close to Osaka and quite far away from Tokyo. I always like to stay somewhere nice, but it doesn't really matter which country it is.

Q:
You have got a dog -🍒 how does it survive when you are always away?

Kamui Kobayashi:
Yes, I have a dog. Alfred is a Yorkshire Terrier and very cute! 🔜He stays with a friend in Paris but I go and see him as much as I can.

Q:
Did you always dream of ꦅbecoming🦹 a Formula 1 driver when you were a child?

Kamui Kobayashi:
No, never. I rather wanted to become a comedian - Amagasaki is quite popular for Japanese comedians. But I found I wasn't talentedﷺ enough.

Q:
Didꦰ you have support fr𒁃om your parents to go racing?

Kamui Kobayashi:
My parents were not at all interested in racing. They still 💞don't own a road car. I bought myself a car twice, but both times my father sold it. He runs a Sushi delivery shop in Amagasaki. Most likely if I had🌊n't been quick in karting perhaps I would have become a sushi chef. But I hate raw fish.