is a Japanese racing driver who competes in the Super Formula Championship for TGM Grand Prix and in Super GT for Cerumo. A member of the TGR Driver Challenge Program, Kobayashi won the F4 Japanese Championship in 2023. Alongside his motorsport ventures, he also competes in sim racing, having previously competed in the Gran Turismo World Series.
He is not related to the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and fellow Super Formula driver Kamui Kobayashi.
Single-seater career Formula 4 Kobayashi started his formula racing in 2022 at F4 Japanese Championship with TGR-DC Racing School as a part from he got TGR-DC RS Scholarship Driver. He finished sixth in the standings. Kobayashi continued to compete for the 2023 season. In a close F4 title battle with Jin Nakamura, Kobayashi claimed the title by winning the season finale at Motegi. On 30 May 2023, Toyota Gazoo Racing announced that Kobayashi would take part in the WEC Challenge Program training session for young drivers who are deemed to have a future in the Le Mans 24 Hours. He participated and experienced firsthand how WEC drivers and engineers take on the challenge of Le Mans.
Super Formula Lights
2024 Following his F4 championship victory, Kobayashi stepped up to Super Formula Lights with TOM'S alongside Jin Nakamura in 2024. After scoring a lone podium each in the opening rounds at Autopolis and Sugo, Kobayashi scored his maiden series win from pole position at Fuji. He finished third twice at Okayama but also retired from race 2 due to contact caused by Seita Nonaka. Kobayashi scored two podiums again at Suzuka, which included an inherited victory in race 2 following a penalty for Nonaka. A strong final round at Motegi, which saw him claim a pair of runner-up finishes and victory in race 2, allowed Kobayashi to vault to second in the championship standings.
2025 Kobayashi stayed for another season with TOM'S in 2025. The season opener at Suzuka yielded mixed results, as a pair of third places sandwiched a transmission failure in race 2. Sixth and fourth followed at Autopolis, causing Kobayashi to have only a third of championship leader Yuki Sano's points. A trio of podiums at Okayama brought him closer to the title fight, but with only two podiums from the four Sugo races, Kobayashi fell far behind a dominant Yuto Nomura. Contact with Sano spun Kobayashi out of the points in race 1 at Fuji, and although Kobayashi won race 2 in commanding fashion and finished third in race 3, another strong round confirmed Nomura as the champion. Kobayashi finished second in all three races at the season-ending Motegi event and ended up third in the standings.
Super Formula Kobayashi sampled his first test of a Super Formula car in December 2024, taking over from series champion Sho Tsuboi on the final day of the rookie test at Suzuka. In 2025, Kobayashi made his Super Formula debut, driving for Itochu Enex Wecars Team Impul at Motegi.
In 2026, Kobayashi will make his full-season debut with KDDI TGMGP TGR-DC along with Kamui Kobayashi.
Sportscar career Super GT GT300 Kobayashi also will make his debut to compete in Super GT - GT300 with apr, as he partnered with Hiroaki Nagai and Manabu Orido. He was planned to become the third driver of Saitama Green Brave for the 2025 season, but Kobayashi instead went on to compete with CarGuy MKS Racing, which raced a Ferrari 296 GT3, alongside Zak O'Sullivan. The pair missed out on the GT300 championship by 2.5 points.
GT500 Kobayashi then made a step up to the GT500 with Cerumo, as he replaces Hiroaki Ishiura. Esports career Kobayashi has previously competed in the Gran Turismo World Series. In 2021, he won the semi-final in Group B, and claimed 3rd overall in the final round of the Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup.
Racing record Career summary Season Series Team Races Wins Poles FLaps Podiums Points Position 2022 F4 Japanese Championship TGR-DC Racing School 14 1 2 1 2 120 6th 2023 F4 Japanese Championship TGR-DC Racing School 14 5 5 3 9 221 1st 2024 Super Formula Lights TOM'S1832311862nd Super GT – GT300 apr 8 0 0 0 0 0 NC TGR GR86/BRZ Cup Nine with ARN RACING200000NC Macau Grand Prix TOM'S Formula10000N/A12th Super Taikyu – ST-2 KTMS53114124‡ 1st‡2025 Super Formula Lights TOM'S1811212853rd Super GT – GT300 CarGuy MKS Racing8121283.53rd Super Taikyu – ST-X apr71103114‡3rd‡ Super Formula Itochu Enex Wecars Team Impul20000024th 2026 Super Formula KDDI TGMGP TGR-DC Super GT - GT500 TGR Team KeePer Cerumo Super Taikyu - ST-4Endless Sports * Season still in progress. ‡ Team standings
Complete F4 Japanese Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) YearTeam1234567891011121314DCPoints2022TGR-DC Racing School FUJ11 FUJ12 SUZ11 SUZ12 FUJ21 FUJ22 SUZ21 SUZ22 SUG1 SUG2 AUT1 AUT2 MOT1 MOT26th1202023TGR-DC Racing School FUJ11 FUJ12 SUZ11 SUZ12 FUJ21 FUJ22 SUZ21 SUZ22 SUG1 SUG2 AUT1 AUT2 MOT1 MOT2 1st 221
Complete Super GT results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Points 2024 apr Toyota GR86 GT300 GT300 OKA FUJ SUZ FUJ SUG AUT MOT SUZ NC 0 2025 CarGuy MKS Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 GT300 OKA FUJ SEP FS1 FS2 SUZ SUG AUT MOT 3rd 83.5 2026 TGR Team KeePer Cerumo Toyota GR Supra GT500 GT500 OKA FUJ SEP FUJ SUZ SUG AUT MOT ‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed. (Number) Driver did not take part in this sprint race, points are still awarded for the teammate's result. * Season still in progress.
Complete Super Formula Lights results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos Points 2024 TOM'S AUT1 AUT2 AUT3 SUG1 SUG2 SUG3 FUJ1 FUJ2 FUJ3 OKA1 OKA2 OKA3 SUZ1 SUZ2 SUZ3 MOT1 MOT2 MOT3 2nd 86 2025 TOM'S SUZ1 SUZ2 SUZ3 AUT1 AUT2 OKA1 OKA2 OKA3 SUG1 SUG2 SUG3 SUG4 FUJ1 FUJ2 FUJ3 MOT1 MOT2 MOT3 3rd 85 * Season still in progress.
Complete Macau Grand Prix results Year Team Car Qualifying Quali Race Main race 2024 TOM'S Formula Tatuus F3 T-318 23rd 21st 12th
Complete Super Formula results Year Team Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DC Points 2025 Itochu Enex Wecars Team Impul Toyota SUZ SUZ MOT MOT AUT FUJ FUJ SUG FUJ SUZ SUZ SUZ 24th 0 2026 KDDI TGMGP TGR-DC Toyota MOT MOT AUT SUZ SUZ FUJ FUJ SUG FUJ FUJ SUZ SUZ
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