Kamui Kobayashi was overjoyed with his ninth place finish in Brazil this afternoon, securing Sauber’s seventh position in the championship standings. Having qualified in 16th, the Japanese driver fought through the field to collect two valuable points.
"The team did a very good job to recover from a really bad qualifying," explained Kobayashi. "I had a good start and also a good race pace. We worked a lot on the race pace and I’m happy that I was able to score in the final two races of the season. It was important for us to finish ahead of Toro Rosso and I’m glad we managed to do that.
"The strategy was good and the car was as well - many thanks to the guys. After we have struggled a bit in the second half of the season, we have a lot to work on over the winter. I think it is good that we will have the same team with the same drivers again, but we want to become stronger."
Team-mate Sergio Pérez endured a slightly more challenging afternoon, ultimately taking the chequered flag in 13th place after a mid-race spin.
"The team’s main target for today was to make sure we finished the season in seventh, and I am very happy that this was achieved, although I couldn’t contribute this time," the Mexican said. "As a team I think we are all already looking forward to the next season. After all that has happened I am happy with my rookie season.
"I have learned a lot and with this experience I want to do a good job in 2012. However, my race today wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. The start was fine, but we had opted for wet conditions and the result was that the rear tyres tended to overheat. The car was quite difficult to drive and I’m sorry for the spin at half distance."
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Sergio Perez
Kamui Kobayashi
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  M. Webber | Red Bull | 1:32:17.464 |
| 2. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | +16.983 |
| 3. | J. Button | McLaren | +27.638 |
| 4. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | +35.048 |
| 5. | F. Massa | Ferrari | +1:06.733 |
| 6. | A. Sutil | Force India | +1 Lap |
| 7. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | +1 Lap |
| 8. | P. di Resta | Force India | +1 Lap |
| 9. | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | +1 Lap |
| 10. | V. Petrov | Lotus Renault | +1 Lap |
| Full results | |||
| Kamui Kobayashi | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| More Kamui Kobayashi photos | |||
| Sergio Perez | |||
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| More Sergio Perez photos | |||
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