Kobayashi: Bahrain is one of my favorite circuits

With the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix still set to take place this weekend, the F1 fraternity has moved swiftly on from China to the Kingdom of Bahrain. One driver who is eager to get into the car this weekend is Kamui Kobayashi, who says the Sakhir track is one of his favorites.

“Bahrain is one of my favorite circuits, and its layout is really good.” Explained the Japanese driver, “I also like the high ambient temperatures there. It feels like summer. There was no race last year, so we have to guess how the track conditions are. Maybe it will be very slippery in the beginning. We obviously have to be prepared to make sure we keep everything very cool.”

Kamui Kobayashi currently lies 10th in the Drivers’ Championship, after successfully scoring points in both the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix. However, the Sauber team were rather disheartened with the way the Chinese Grand Prix panned out. After qualifying a highly competitive 3rd of the grid for the race in China, Kobayashi and his team-mate Sergio Perez struggled in the race, with the Japanese driver only managing to finish 10th, loosing seven places from where he qualified.

Regardless of the harsh return to normality after finishing 2nd in Malaysia, Sauber are confident heading into this weekends race. With many unknown factors surrounding the race weekend, including how the Pirelli tyres will work in what is their first race in Bahrain as the official F1 tyre supplier, tyre degradation is set to remain a key factor in the outcome of the race.

Even though the Sakhir International Circuit is one of Kamui Kobayashi’s favorite circuits, the Japanese star has never finished a full race distance in a Formula 1 car. In 2010, Kobayashi retired after only 11 laps with a hydraulics issue. However, in GP2 he has won twice at Bahrain, and will be hoping for similar success this weekend.

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