After Lotterer, Mehri or Sainz Jr to replace Kobayashi at Caterham?
Replaced by André Lotterer in Belgium, Kamui Kobayashi might not immediately regain his full-time seat as other drivers are eyeing his spot, starting with two Formula Renault 3.5 drivers, Roberto Mehri and Carlos Sainz Jr.
This weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, the Caterham F1 team decided not to race Kamui Kobayashi and opted for André Lotterer, the German driver making his F1 debut at 32 thanks in part to the support of the energy drink company, Hype. Although Lotterer was released by Audi and his Super Formula team for the Belgian weekend, he is not expected to have a long-term position with Caterham.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean Kamui Kobayashi will get his seat back for the upcoming races, starting with Monza at the Italian Grand Prix in two weeks. In fact, two young Spaniards, Carlos Sainz Jr and Roberto Mehri, appear to be well-positioned to relegate him once again to the role of spectator in Italy, according to the British and German press.
Roberto Mehri, who is racing in Formula Renault 3.5 this year, was present at Spa with the Caterham team and he told Movistar TV that he had already tested the Leafield team’s simulator: « They invited me to visit the factory and try the simulator, which was great. And then, they invited me to the circuit. There’s nothing more really. I know there could be a chance one day but for now, we don’t know. We haven’t discussed the possibility of racing. It could happen one day, but we haven’t discussed it. »
Mehri would be better positioned than Carlos Sainz Jr, who still has the support of Red Bull, thanks notably to the backing of Russian entrepreneurs, and the fact that no upcoming FR3.5 rounds coincide with F1 could help him.
If both men are mentioned as candidates, it might be that only one of them will race. Indeed, the F1 regulations require a F1 team not to field more than 4 drivers in Grand Prix races during the same season, except in cases of force majeure.
