Ex-Formula 1 racer Kobayashi is entering his ninth season in Super Formula and seventh as part of the KCMG outfit, which he will combine with his World Endurance Championship duties for Toyota.
He is still searching for a first win in the series, having gone 55 starts without one, while almost four years have passed since his last podium.
After two COVID-disrupted seasons, the 2022 campaign proved a particular disappointment for Kobayashi, who finished 17th in the standings, one place behind his KCMG team-mate Yuji Kunimoto.
KCMG has hired ex-Formula Nippon racer Tetsuya Tanaka to work as 'race manager' this season alongside existing team manager Tsugio Matsuda. During this week's Suzuka pre-season test, Tanaka worked with Kobayashi, while Matsuda focused his efforts on Kunimoto's car.
The changes appear to have borne fruit as Kobayashi went fastest on the second day of this week's pre-season test at Suzuka, while Kunimoto was third-fastest during the morning session on Tuesday.
"This year the team structure has been strengthened," said Kobayashi. "We've built a structure with the intention of winning.
"For several years there was the pandemic, and although last year I was able to participate in the full season, we couldn't get the results we had hoped for. Together with [KCMG motorsport boss Ryuji] Doi-san we've thought about what to do, and this year we definitely want to win.
"There are many people supporting KCMG and we've not been able to get results; we want to change that. We're approaching this season with a mindset of, 'If this doesn't work, it's over.'"
As well as Tanaka, KCMG has also recruited Kazushige Igarashi from fellow Toyota team Kondo Racing to oversee the maintenance of its cars.
Doi said that KCMG's disastrous 2022 season was the impetus for the changes it has made this season.
"We've been racing in Super Formula for 13 years, and last year was our worst year in terms of results despite all our preparations," Doi told Motorsport.com's Japanese edition. "We were the lowest-ranked of the two-car teams.
"We knew that if we don't do anything differently, the results won't change. That was the starting point."
Despite topping the second day of pre-season testing, and finishing with the fourth-best time across the two days, Kobayashi is keeping his targets for the opening rounds of the season at Fuji in check.
"In testing you can do many things, but in race week you have to be spot-on with your set-up," he said. "The top teams have good experience in terms of the set-up philosophy at each track, but I think we are still lacking in this part.
"I don’t want to expect too much, because it’s always like this in Super Formula. There can always be a night-and-day difference [between testing and the opening race]; small changes can make things completely different.
"At the end of the day, we are still not a top team. We are still the challengers, we have to keep working."
