At the , Kobayashi suffered a gearbox failure and retired from the  after hitting a track-side barrier. Kobayashi's teammate changed in Singapore as Pedro de la Rosa was removed in favour of Nick Heidfeld. In Japan, Kobayashi qualified 14th and finished seventh, passing several drivers along the way including his teammate, in a very impressive fashion.
At the , Kobayashi encountered a gearbox malfunction and stepped away from the  after colliding with a barrier on the track. His teammate was swapped in Singapore, as Pedro de la Rosa was replaced by Nick Heidfeld. In Japan, Kobayashi started 14th and finished seventh, passing multiple drivers, including his teammate, in an outstanding manner.