Kobayashi ends bid for 2013 drive

Kamui Kobayashi has conceded defeat in his battle to secure a seat on the F1 grid in 2013.

The Japanese driver was left without a berth after Sauber elected to go with Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez as their drivers for next season.

Kobayashi, who finished third at his home race at Suzuka in October, had set up a website where fans could donate money to help him secure the funding for a seat elsewhere, while also pursuing sponsorship from several Japanese companies.

But, despite raising over eight million euros, Kobayashi posted a message on the website this week where he said he was now focusing his efforts on finding an F1 drive in 2014.

His message read: “Since the donation started, it has become quite big news in Japan, and because of your big support, it had a big influence on some Japanese companies and I started receiving good support from them.

“I was in the position to bring a budget of eight million euros at least. Unfortunately, the time was still short and I am not able to secure a seat with a competitive F1 team for 2013.

“My main priority now is to secure a competitive F1 seat in 2014.”