BMW Sauber Best Finish at Japanese Grand Prix

Kamui Kobayashi: 7th
C29.04 / Ferrari 056
“I tried my best and I am very happy. It was a great race for our team, and I’m very pleased for the Japanese fans who have watched an exciting race. It is the second time we have got both cars in the points, and for me it was really something to come back here and race for the first time after seven years in front of my home crowd. Nevertheless it was a very tough race today. Qualifying and the race in the space of only a few hours made it quite a busy and unusual Sunday. After the start I saw the accidents in front of me, and I was really lucky not to be hit. Later it was not too easy to overtake and I had some contact. The car was damaged, but it was not too severe and I was able to finish the race. I really want to thank the team for the great job and the fans for their fantastic support.”
 
Nick Heidfeld: 8th 
C29.03 / Ferrari 056
“I’m quite happy – it is the best result for the team this season. In the end I could have finished one place higher, but I was on a different tyre strategy to Kamui and he was obviously faster with his fresh option tyres. I started on the option tyres. Obviously I was meant to push really hard in the early laps, but then the safety car came out and later I got stuck behind Rubens (Barrichello). The team did a very good job by calling me in early for the change to the prime tyres. Compared to Singapore, we made good progress in race performance. For qualifying, I think, there is more to come. I’m looking forward to the three remaining races.”
 
Monisha Kaltenborn, CEO Sauber Motorsport:
“It was a fantastic performance by the whole team, which proves we are going in the right direction. Nick showed he has learned quickly. In only his second race in the C29 he gave a great performance. Kamui was simply incredible in his home race. The way he overtook several competitors was absolutely spectacular. Congratulations to the whole team.”
 
James Key, Technical Director:
“I’m delighted with the race and the result we achieved. We just missed out in qualifying, but our race performance more than makes up for that. Both drivers got a clean start and were able to avoid the problems in turn one. We decided for a split strategy with Kamui on the prime tyre and Nick on the option, and both strategies worked in the way we hoped they would. Kamui did a great job to hang on with the prime. He drove superbly to control his race, but overtook as well on a track where overtaking is very difficult. On the option tyres at the end he was absolutely spectacular. Nick also did a fantastic job. He drove exactly the race he needed to. The pace was good, and it’s a great result in just his second race after coming back. The team on the pit wall did a great job as well as did the mechanics. It was a great performance from the whole team.”

Sauber Post Race Spa Formula 1 in Belgium

Despite Kamui Kobayashi being 17^th and Pedro de la Rosa 24^th on the grid, the team managed to score four points in what was a very eventful Belgian Grand Prix in Spa with ever changing weather conditions. Kobayashi finished eighth, De la Rosa 12^th.

Kamui Kobayashi: 8^th C29.01 / Ferrari 056 “It was a very difficult race, but for me everything worked out fine. The team made very good decisions in choosing the right tyres at the right time, and the pit stops went well. For parts of the race the track conditions were changing every lap, and that was not easy. Especially after yesterday’s qualifying, I am very happy I made no mistakes, brought the car home and scored four more points after starting the race 17^th.“

Pedro de la Rosa: 12^th C29.03 / Ferrari 056 “It was a very interesting race. After I had to start last I should not complain about finishing 12^th, but two laps before the end I was tenth and just in the points. I was on full wet tyres, the rain was not heavy enough and there was not enough water on the track to stop destroying those tyres. They went off quite quickly and when I tried to catch Vitaly Petrov I made a mistake. I went into the gravel and lost two places. Nevertheless for me it was the right move to go for full wet tyres.

We had to take our chances today. It was more or less the same at my first pit stop when we fitted intermediates, but then had to change back to slicks. But, as I said, we had to take our chances.” Peter Sauber, Team Principal: “It was another strong and mature performance by Kamui in very difficult conditions after starting from way down the grid. Also compliments to the team for choosing the right tyre strategy and executing it very well during the pit stops.”

James Key, Technical Director: “I’m very pleased we scored some points today after a very difficult day yesterday. It was a race with a lot of changing weather conditions, and the right calls had to be made at the right time. We had three spells of rain all together. The team made the right decisions, and Kamui did an excellent job by controlling the car in these difficult conditions and bringing it home in eighth. He came from a long way behind and made up a lot of positions. With Pedro we tried a slightly different strategy at the end of the race with full wet tyres, because there was a chance of heavier rain. This seemed to work initially, but it looks as if the tyres went off quite quickly, and Pedro couldn’t hold on to tenth. All in all a reasonable recovery given the situation we faced yesterday.“

BMW Sauber Malaysia F1 Friday Practise

Press release Malaysian GP ? 1st/2nd Free Practice ? Friday, 02.04.2010 Weather: Sunny and dry, 27-32°C air, 30-50°C track It was a trouble free start to the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend for Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro de la Rosa. Besides the usual set-up work and race preparation, the team found time to test the new rear wing system again in both free practice sessions.

Kamui Kobayashi: C29.01 / Ferrari 056 1st Practice: 12th / 1:36.503 min (28 laps) / 2nd Practice: 11th / 1:36.018 min (38 laps) ?The car seems to be better than last week in Melbourne, but obviously we need to keep working hard to find a better pace. For me it is good that I know the track here so well, that makes it easy. While driving the heat isn?t an issue, but if you sit in the car in the garage waiting for the next outing you almost get grilled. In the afternoon session the asphalt was really, really hot when it reached 50 degrees, and this certainly is hard on the tyres. But perhaps it is a useful experience as the qualifying and the race are also in the afternoon.?

Pedro de la Rosa: C29.03 / Ferrari 056 1st Practice: 16th / 1:36.899 min (24 laps) / 2nd Practice: 13th / 1:36.325 min (33 laps) ?It was a really positive Friday as we were able to do a lot of testing and tried different things including our new rear wing system. Balance wise, I am happier with the car now than I was in Australia and I enjoy the high speed corners of the Sepang circuit quite a lot. However, we need to find some more pace.?

Willy Rampf, Technical Director: ?We used both sessions to test different configurations of our new rear wing. We will analyse the data here at the track and in the factory in Hinwil to decide on the next steps. In preparation for the race we did long runs with the option tyres to get an understanding of their behaviour when we have a heavy car and a very high track temperature. Overall it was a productive day without any technical problems. We were able to complete our planned programme

BMW Sauber Post Race From Australia Melbourne Grand Prix

Following Kamui Kobayashi’s retirement after a crash on lap one, it looked good for Pedro de la Rosa to score the team’s first points. But in the end his tyres degraded too much and he had nothing left for defending.

Pedro de la Rosa: 12th place
C29.03 / Ferrari 056
“For a while the race went okay, I managed to stay out of trouble and there was a good chance to get our first points. But, I’m afraid, we underestimated the tyre degradation. In the end I really had no rear tyres left. For the last 15 laps it was just a question of how to keep the car on the track. I was absolutely helpless when Michael and Jaime came in the end to overtake me“

Kamui Kobayashi: accident on lap 1
C29.02 / Ferrari 056
“It looks as if I touched a kerb or another car in turn three. Everything was very close and I don’t really remember anything major, but on the data it looks like there was something. I had no worries about the front wing, but a few corners later it went off and got stuck under the car. At first I had no idea what had happened. I had no control anymore.”

Peter Sauber, Team Principal:
“Looking at how the race evolved, it’s a disappointing result. For a third of the race Pedro was able to defend ninth against Rubens Barrichello, but then he lost out, and in the penultimate lap he was also passed by Michael Schumacher and Jaime Alguersuari. Kamui’s race didn’t even last one lap. Following contact with another car his front wing broke, and he went off, unfortunately hitting other competitors.”

Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
“It was a race start under difficult conditions. Kamui most probably had contact with another car and damaged his front wing. As a result the front wing broke in the braking zone of corner 6, and Kamui went off. Pedro won positions after the start, and we made the change from intermediates to slicks at the right moment. Our strategy was to finish the race with this set of tyres, which – looking at the overall result – was the right decision. However, the tyres degraded too much, and the lap times were not consistent enough, therefore we lost our chance to finish the race in ninth.”

Pedro de la Rosa to race for BMW Sauber F1 Team

Pedro de la Rosa is the BMW Sauber F1 Team?s second driver for the 2010 season. The 38-year-old Spaniard has 71 Grands Prix under his belt and worked with McLaren as a test and reserve driver for seven years. In December the Swiss team had already announced it had signed on Kamui Kobayashi (23, Japan). ?

Pedro has spent many years working for a top team at the highest technical level,? pointed out Team Principal Peter Sauber, adding: ?We as a team stand to gain from his experience, and the same goes for young Kamui. The combination of a seasoned racer and an up-and-coming young driver has repeatedly proved a very fruitful one. I don?t expect either of them to disappoint in 2010. Of course it is also crucial that we provide them with a decent car; I feel positive about our in-house progress on that front too. We were able to continue work on our 2010 car as scheduled throughout the recent period of uncertainty.?

Pedro de la Rosa: ?I always firmly believed I would be given another chance as a team driver. Since the number of test drives were radically reduced, this was what I was working towards. I?m really excited about the season with Peter Sauber?s team, which has been a solid fixture in Formula One ever since 1993.?

Pedro de la Rosa was born in Barcelona (ES) on 24th February 1971. He has lived in Zurich (CH) for several years with his wife Maria Reyes and daughters Georgina, Olivia and Luna. De la Rosa began karting at the relatively late age of 17, but was immediately discovered and sponsored by the Spanish Automobile Federation. A year later he had already progressed to a single-seater racing car and went on to win the Formula Fiat Uno. After successful stints in Formula Ford, Formula Renault and British Formula 3, 1997 saw him win the Japanese Formula 3000 and GT Championship. In 1998 he made his debut as a Formula One test driver for the Jordan Team. He contested his first Grand Prix in Australia in 1999 for Arrows, taking his inferior car straight into the points with a sixth-placed finish. He remained with Arrows in 1999 and 2000, moving to Jaguar for the 2001 and 2002 seasons. From 2003 through to 2009 he worked for McLaren-Mercedes as a reserve driver. Called upon to race for the team in nine Grands Prix, he capitalised on these opportunities. In 2005 he finished fifth in Bahrain and claimed the fastest race lap. 2006 saw him stepping into the breach again: in eight races he managed to pick up 19 World Championship points and took a podium place by finishing second in the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.

BMW Post Race News Barcelona

Munich/Hinwil, 18th April 2008. The BMW Sauber F1 Team has barely embarked on its third
season and is already heading for its first Formula One grand prix as the leader of the
constructors? championship.

In the first three World Championship races of the 2008 season,
the team was on the podium each time (two second places and a third), had its first pole
position (Robert Kubica/Bahrain) and set its first fastest race lap (Nick Heidfeld/Malaysia).
With 30 points, the BMW Sauber F1 Team is one ahead of Ferrari and two of McLaren
Mercedes.

During the brief spring break all the teams have been upgrading their cars in
preparation for the European curtain-raiser in Barcelona on 27th April. The Spanish Grand Prix
on the impressive, but unforgiving, Circuit de Catalunya could prompt a reappraisal of where
the teams stand relative to one another.

Nick Heidfeld commented:
The Spanish Grand Prix has its own special ambience because the stands are now regularly
packed to the rafters. The fans ensure a brilliant atmosphere, which we as drivers pick up on
to some extent as well.

Although I have already clocked up hundreds of race and test laps on the Circuit de
Catalunya, boredom just doesn’t come into it. It has often been the case that a set-up
determined during testing was no longer the right one for the race weekend. That could be
due to the weather or to the condition of the track, which naturally accumulates much more
rubber deposits over a grand prix weekend than during testing.

Now the question everybody wants to hear the answer to is: how well are the new
components, with which we’ve modified the BMW Sauber F1.08 since the initial overseas
races, going to work. I’m also very keen to see whether we have made more progress with
our new developments than the competition. At any rate, I’m confident that we will be just as
strong as in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain.

This is what Robert Kubica had to say:
I think we will have a more predictable race than the first three overseas grands prix. The
conditions this time round are completely different. All the teams know the Barcelona circuit
like the back of their hands because we do a lot of testing here.

That’s why I expect the gaps between the teams to become a lot smaller than in the last races.
Everyone will be coming to the season’s first European grand prix on top form. I guess all the
teams will be lining up with an improved car. But at the same time that means we also have to
get the maximum out of the BMW Sauber F1.08.

If we manage that, and since the latest test in Barcelona I am firmly convinced we will, I’ll be racing right up at the front again. My goal is
to achieve a good result to earn as many points as possible for myself and the team.

BMW Testing Barcelona Day Three

Robert Kubica’s work today concentrated on two different areas. The first one included testing of different setups and aerodynamical solutions in preparation for the forthcoming Spanish Grand Prix.

The second part consisted of early base work for the 2009 World Championship. To collect valuable data for the development of next year’s car BMW Sauber F1 Team also used the 2009 slick tyres. With one hour to go Kubica went off in turn 5 due to a technical problem. The minor impact into a tyre barrier caused some damage to the front suspension and front wing of the car.

The reason for the technical problem will be further analyzed by the team?s engineers. What comes next: As scheduled BMW Sauber F1 Team will continue testing in Barcelona tomorrow with Robert Kubica at the wheel. More setup work and tyre testing in preparation for next week?s Spanish Grand Prix is on the programme.

BMW Interview With Mario Theissen

Interview with BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen

“Taking a bold concept leap has paid off”

How do you review the situation after the first two races of the season?

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen: “Naturally we’re extremely pleased with the way the season has started off for us. Two second places by Nick and Robert in Melbourne and Sepang, Robert on the front row of the grid in Australia, Nick claiming the fastest race lap in Malaysia, plus 11 points in one race and 19 in the championship – that’s an outstanding achievement and a strong basis for the coming races. It demonstrates we have been making steady progress since the roll-out in mid-January. I wasn’t just gratified by our good results, but above all by the performance and pace we managed in both races.”

The BMW Sauber F1.08 didn’t come up to expectations in the first tests. How did the engineers deal with that?
Theissen: “It was the first real acid test for our young team. Since the first outing in Valencia the day after the launch, we refused to be diverted at any stage and systematically continued along our planned path. Measured data and driver feedback were compared, causes analysed and a whole package of measures adopted – with success. In the weeks following the launch of the F1.08, we not only brought the car up to speed but also learnt a great deal in the process. In retrospect these were extremely productive and motivating weeks. Willy Rampf and the entire team deserve a huge compliment for never once losing sight of the goal even under extreme pressure.”
 
You mentioned a package of measures. What precise modifications have been made to the car?
Theissen: “During the first tests we very quickly established that the F1.08 is a far more complex car than its predecessor. It wasn’t a case of an individual component in the car not working. The key factor was that, in the first tests, individual elements weren’t interacting with each other perfectly. We rectified that step by step. It was a matter of fine-tuning the overall package, which we managed to improve through dozens of minor alterations. On the aero front we optimised the interplay of the front wing, deflectors and underbody, and in terms of mechanics, for example, we modified the front suspension slightly. These are all changes you can’t see but which all add up to a significant improvement in performance. And, of course, with each test we were able to gather new data that now enables us to find the right set-up for varying conditions.”
So will you be pitching your season target higher now?
Theissen: “There’s no call for that really. Our goal is to close the gap to the leaders and win our first race. That’s a fairly ambitious goal and we’re sticking to it. In the first two races we managed to open up the two-way battle. We were faster than one of the two top teams on each occasion. But one shouldn’t draw any premature conclusions. We’re still not on a par with Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes. However, the latest results are certainly a great incentive for everyone. The clear message to the workforce is: we can make it.”

How much potential remains inside the BMW Sauber F1.08?
Theissen: “We’ve still got several arrows in our quiver and certainly haven’t exhausted our entire potential yet. The next major step is planned for the European curtain-raiser in Barcelona. For us one thing is clear: risking a major concept leap in the winter has paid off. Now it’s up to us to systematically continue along the path we’ve embarked on.”

How do you rate the performance of your two drivers?
Theissen: “Both of them have delivered what we expect of them. Not just in the two races, but prior to that during the important testing work over the winter. Both of them have prepared single-mindedly for the new season. And both of them have got what it takes to claim the first win for our team. They also know that it takes more than just a few fast laps. The drivers are leaders within the team and have a huge impact on the team spirit and the ongoing development of the car. Both of them are bringing this awareness into play, and I am very happy with the results so far.”

How did you fare with the standard electronics in the first two races of the season?
Theissen: “There was the occasional hiccup, but that was down to the fact that the application had not yet been perfected and was unrelated to the basic software. There were no malfunctions that might have threatened to end the race or compromise driver safety.”

Best Of The Rest Is Dead! BMW Out Class Mclaren At Bahrain

At the start of the season (even the start of the weekend) many people were talking about two teams contending for podiums and the title. Now it seems that there is no longer only two teams contending but in fact three. BMW have had an excellent weekend with Robert Kubica gaining another Podium and Nick Heidfeld driving solidly to finish in fourth.

The entire weekend sore BMW beat the Mclaren boys for pace and all important traction which shows Mclaren are not that far ahead of BMW at all.  This has led me to the question ‘is the best of the rest category dead?’  Time will most definetly tell but one thing that is sure is the championship will be a more exciting place from now on.

One aspect that we must not forget is that Heiki Kovalainen set the fastest lap of the race. This shows that with a few tweaks before Barcelona they should be right back on track.

BMW Sauber F1.08 Launch Video

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/KL7M82WPmOY" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

This video shows the launch of this seasons BMW Sauber F1.08 Formula 1 racing car car. This video contains a lot of flashing lights. The video shows the unveiling of this years racing car.

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