Kazuki Nakajima

Kazuki Nakajima (中嶋 一貴) is a retired Japanese professional racing driver who drove in Formula One for the Williams-Toyota team from to.

Nakajima started his career in racing in 1996, when he started karting.

Three years later, he was crowned the Suzuka Formula ICA karting champion.

After some impressive performances, Nakajima was picked up by Japanese car manufacturer Toyota as part of the corporation's Young Drivers Program.

His father had been backed by Toyota's arch-rivals Honda through his career.

Nakajima hoped that by joining Toyota he would shield himself against any accusations that his father had promoted his career.

In 2002, Nakajima won a scholarship in Formula Toyota, which he became champion in a year later.

He progressed onto Japanese Formula Three in 2004, winning two of the 20 races and finishing fifth in the Drivers' Championship.

Nakajima stayed in Japanese Formula Three for 2005, finishing second.

He dovetailed that championship with appearances in the Japanese GT300 sports car series, where he ended the year eighth.

Nakajima moved to the Formula Three Euroseries in 2006 and competed against the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Paul di Resta.

After starting the year strongly with second place in the first race and a win in round four, Nakajima finished seventh with 36 points, behind his Manor Motorsport teammates Kohei Hirate (third) and Esteban Guerrieri (fourth).

The championship was won by di Resta with 86 points.

In November 2006, Nakajima was named a Williams test driver for the 2007 season, alongside fellow test driver Narain Karthikeyan and race drivers Nico Rosberg and Alexander Wurz, targeting a race seat in.

Nakajima's debut in a Formula One car came at Fuji Speedway during November 2006, where he completed four demonstration laps in wet conditions.

Nakajima raced in the GP2 series in 2007 for the DAMS team alongside French 2005–06 A1 Grand Prix winner Nicolas Lapierre.

Nakajima also served as Williams' test driver, completing 7,000 km of testing for the team.

Nakajima's first year in GP2 finished with no wins, but five consecutive podiums and ended the year as top rookie.

Nakajima's fifth in the championship put him comfortably ahead of Lapierre.

Nakajima was found to have caused a collision in Istanbul, when he hit leader Karun Chandhok during the sprint race, and was given a drive-through penalty.

It was announced on 9 October 2007 that following the retirement of Alexander Wurz, Nakajima would race for Williams in the season finale in Brazil.

Nakajima finished tenth in the race, setting the fifth fastest lap – quicker than his teammate Nico Rosberg, who finished fourth.

At his first pit stop, Nakajima overshot his box and hit two of his mechanics.

The mechanics were taken to hospital for precautionary checks.

Nakajima apologised for the error: "First of all I would say I'm really sorry that some of my mechanics were injured during my pitstop and that I hope they're OK. It was a good first race for me but it was slightly overshadowed."

Patrick Head commented: "Kazuki drove well on his debut. His lap times were impressive and he's set a marker for a future in Formula One. Some of our mechanics were injured today, they're having some checks done now and we send our best wishes to them."

On 7 November it was confirmed by Williams that Nakajima would partner Rosberg at the Williams team for the 2008 season.

He had a successful start to 2008 at the Australian Grand Prix, finishing seventh but promoted to sixth after Rubens Barrichello was disqualified, even whilst knocking Robert Kubica out of the race and being penalised.

He then finished seventh in the Spanish Grand Prix, having outqualified his teammate.

A first-corner incident with Giancarlo Fisichella at Istanbul forced him to retire.

Nakajima scored two points at Monaco where no Japanese Formula One driver had previously scored a point, and retired from the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix after hitting the pit wall when pitting for a new front wing.

Nakajima scored another point at the 2008 British Grand Prix, after losing seventh place on the last lap.

Nakajima was retained by Williams for the 2009 season.

In Singapore, Nakajima made it to the third qualifying round for the first time qualifying 10th on the grid.

He went on to finish eighth and scored a point.

In 2012 and 2014, he won the Super Formula Championship driving for TOM'S.

Racing for Toyota Gazoo Racing, he won the 2018, 2019 and 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as the 2018–19 World Endurance Championship along with team-mates Fernando Alonso and Sébastien Buemi.

He is the second FIA world champion from Japan after Toshi Arai.

Born in Okazaki, Aichi, Nakajima is the son of the retired Formula One driver Satoru Nakajima.

His younger brother, Daisuke, is also a racing driver.