Kamui Kobayashi is currently homeless, the Japanese Formula One driver has admitted. He told the Swiss Sonntagsblick newspaper that he recently moved out of his Paris apartment. Asked by reporter Roger Benoit if he will soon call Switzerland home, the 24 year old Sauber driver answered: "That would be nice. But I'm still thinking about where to live." Asked what he meant, Kobayashi explained: "I have no house, no home. I don't know where I should live. "I have no base at the moment except for a big suitcase. At the moment I'm going from hotel to hotel. I'm always on the move anyway. "But now I need to ask myself a question, who do I pay tax to now?" he joked. Kobayashi admitted that Monaco is not his favourite circuit, perhaps because it does not allow him to express his now famous skill for overtaking. It has been rumoured that his flair might soon attract the attention of top teams like Red Bull or Ferrari. Asked how big his loyalty is to Peter Sauber, he answered: "Very big, because he had faith in me. Because I owe him almost everything for being in Formula 1. "Also, because I fulfil my contracts right up to the last day." http://www.f1sa.com/index.php?optio...-loyalty-to-sauber-team&catid=1:f1&Itemid=157 I hope he does get a top seat as he has really earned it. I believe he has scored on every race this year which is good form
If you are of no fixed abode, do you avoid tax completely then? (Fiscal law is not my strong point). If he plans to honour his contract, anyone know how long he's contracted for?
"Monaco is not his favourite circuit, perhaps because it does not allow him to express his now famous skill for overtaking."... But he still came fifth! After yesterday's furore, there's this. I don't think I've read a word against him on here or the old 606; it seems everyone likes him. If I had to be homeless though, I'd want to be homeless like he is! Thanks for sharing this.
I think if you do not live in one place for more than 6 months a year then you do not have to pay any taxes.
I love Kamui, ever since he started in Toyota he impressed me, which I'm sure everybody else agrees. 2010 was a season for him to grow up, get his confidence and he's showing his stuff this season scoring at every grand prix. Even with a DSQ he is what? 9 points off last seasons tally, kudos to the man already and it isn't even at the halfway point yet. Every driver in a top seat should watch their ass, because kamui would jump at it and maybe even do better than them from the word go. Get Massa or Webber out and get that son of a bitch in it, and lets see how tough these WDC's are
I think he's a future WDC but he needs to be in a top team, I just hope it isn't ferrari though, I'd hate to see him throw his career away to be a number 2 to Alonso.
not another swiss tax dodger, nah im sure we would do the same in his position, would love to see this guy in a top team, even if its ferrari because the guy has got some mad overtaking skills.
I'd prefer him to take Webber's seat when he retires rather than replace Massa, as I feel (I don't know for sure) the ethos of having a number 2 driver doesn't exist quite so much in Red Bull, especially after they spent most of last season denying it.
I think Webber's already number 2 for this season, if he likes it or not. Like I said before the Grand Prix this weekend, there is no way Horner is going to allow Webber to finish infront of Vettel with the points haul he has over Lewis, even more so now. A chance to win the WDC like this would be wasted if Webber was to keep beating Vettel now and taking points from him. For all we know Lewis or Alonso could make a mega comeback and beat vettel by 6 points at the end if Red Bull didn't bother to give team orders to Webber for Vettel's points haul for the season. If Kamui does come in he will have to expect "if" Vettel gets majorly infront like this again on the other teams he'll have to back off and keep settling for second until he either gets close enough to the end of the season where it's just him and vettel or has to hope something will happen to vettel and give him a lifeline.
I fully agree cosi, I was impressed when I read that, its not something you see a lot of nowadays unfortunately.
Saying and doing are 2 very different beasts. As for tax, he will at the very least have a bank account that his pay is paid into, that account will be in a country and unless he proves residence of another country to that bank then he will pay taxes at the rate of the banks home country.
We all said that Lewis was going to be a number two to Alonso. For that matter, most people said that Button would provide little more competition to Hamilton than Kovalainen did. Kobayashi has achieved more in F1 than Lewis had going into the 2007 season, and in my opinion he is a better driver than Jenson. Is it really a foregone conclusion that he would be a number two?
Kobayashi is already a cult figure in F1 whatever happens in the future, whoever spotted him and gave him a drive in F1 is obviously a genius also.
He means prior to joining a WDC in a top team - the discussion is about Kobayashi's potential in Ferrari alongside Alonso, so Hamilton had achieved nothing but Kobayashi's been around a couple of years and made a name for himself.
Muchas graçias Genjissimus… My brain stopped working several hours ago and I need to get some sleep. Over and out…
'Kobayashi has achieved more in F1 than Lewis had going into the 2007 season, and in my opinion he is a better driver than Jenson. Is it really a foregone conclusion that he would be a number two?' Err - a wind-up ? better than Button? had a liquid lunch have you?
I think what North North Watford is trying to say is that Kobayashi has shown better ability with worse cars than Lewis and has achieved more in that sense but not on paper etc...
