After much potential and a couple of near misses with other drivers, Kamui Kobayashi could be the first Japanese racing star to really break into Formula 1’s top echelon.

He’s certainly showed plenty of promise in the junior single-seater formulae, winning the 2009 GP2 Asia Series before filling in for the injured Timo Glock at Toyota for the final two Formula 1 races of 2009.

Sixth place in the 2009 season finale in Abu Dhabi marked Kobayashi out as one to watch, and the Sauber team quickly pounced in the wake of BMW’s sale of the team. He’s delivered the goods, with some impressive raw pace and audacious overtaking, often outshining the significantly more experienced Pedro de la Rosa in 2011 to the point where the Spaniard was replaced by Nick Heidfeld in the sister car.

Now, to start off 2012, Kobayashi claimed an impressive sixth-place finish in Australia.