Kamui Kobayashi
Photo: Sauber Motorsport AG
To be honest, this is an award that could have gone to either Felipe Massa or Kamui Kobayashi. Both drivers have uncertain futures, but both produced great drives during the race to provide their best finishes of the season.
It’s been a while since Felipe Massa troubled the thoughts of Badger’s Top Dog column. In an interesting, although not stellar, race in Japan his was a fantastic drive to second place, to achieve his first podium in thirty three races. That it didn’t really include any fancy overtaking is no surprise – that’s never really been his style – but to come from tenth on the grid to finish where he did implies brilliant pace and no little commitment.
To say things haven’t gone to plan for him since his return from injury at the start of the 2010 season would be an understatement. Sidelined at Ferrari, slow on the track and looking like he’d lost the edge that every F1 driver needs, his career has been in a rapid and seemingly terminal decline. However, in the last few races, and whisper it quietly lest it blow away on the wind, it looks as though he might have gained something that’s allowed him to get back at the sharp end. There’s nothing like impending unemployment to sharpen the mind, is there?
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However, as great as Massa’s drive was, today’s Top Dog award has to go to Kamui Kobayashi. He may not have gained any places during the race, but the most important thing was that he didn’t lose any either. To drive to his first ever podium with his continuing employment at Sauber under question and the weight of a nation upon his shoulders is tremendously impressive. The crowd chanting his name at the end was truly extraordinary. In other fun stats, this was the first time since 1990 that a Japanese driver finished on the podium in Japan.
Let’s all hope that what was undoubtedly one of his finest moments in an F1 car, if not his finest, isn’t also one of his last.
Enjoy it Kamui, you’re this race’s Top Dog.
Andy
October 7, 2012
Yep – well deserved for Kamui. He’s seemed a little off-form recently, especially given how well his F1 career started.
A good drive for Felipe too, he kept his nose clean and was there to pick up the pieces when Alonso went off.
I think an honourable mention should go to Webber also – after being taken off by the “First Lap Nutcase”, and then not catching up with the back of the field before the safety car pulled in I think he did a cracking job to get back up into the points on what was effectively a one-stop race. (OK, he had a fresh set of boots fitted when he came in on lap 1 following the incident, but still did well to manage them)
ItachiVTEC
October 7, 2012
KK definitely deserves it. The last several laps with Button closing in put a ton of pressure on him, and he handled it nicely!