Abu Dhabi: Japanese ace Kamui Kobayashi returns to the UAE capital with fond memories of the Yas Marina Circuit where he impressed in his second Formula One race during the inaugural 2009 edition here.
Kobayashi, now with Team Sauber-Ferrari, had just before the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix replaced an injured Timo Glock in the Toyota team. The Japanese ace qualified in 12th and then went on to finish sixth and score his first championship points on the Yas Circuit.
With Toyota having withdrawn, Kobayashi is now with Sauber and will be looking to garner some crucial points both here in Abu Dhabi and then in the final race in Brazil as he is currently 12th in the Driver's Championship with 27 points, just nine points behind 9th-placed Renault's Vitaly Petrov (34).
Unforgettable
Kobayashi, who finished 14th last year, said: "Abu Dhabi is the track where I scored my first three Formula One championship points when I came sixth back in 2009. It was only my second Grand Prix, and for sure I will never forget that."
Commenting on the first F1 race, which starts in the day and ends at night, the Japanese driver said: "I also like the fact it is a twilight race. This makes it even more exciting for the spectators and also very demanding for us."
"The challenge doesn't really come from the changing light, but the track temperature drops significantly when the sun sets. This makes it quite difficult to adapt during the race. I also like the track layout and I think it is an exciting event and race for everybody," Kobayashi said.
Kobayashi's Sauber teammate Sergio Perez is also equally thrilled at the prospect of racing on the Yas Circuit.
"I have only the best memories of Abu Dhabi. There last year I had my first Formula One test, which obviously meant a lot to me. Also last year it was there where I competed in GP2 for the last time, and I won the race by a good margin of over 20 seconds," the 21-year-old Mexican driver said.
Determined
"Now I'm coming back with almost one year's experience in F1, and time goes by very quickly. I like the dry heat in the desert and it will be interesting to have the first experience with a race which starts in daylight and finishes in the dark. I am very much looking forward to that event and, as always, I'm absolutely determined to make the most out of it and score as many points as possible," Perez said.
