BMW Sauber F1 Team - PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix

BMW Sauber F1 Team - PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix - Preview

3rd – 5th April 2009
2nd of 17 World Championship races

Preview.

Munich/Hinwil, 29th March 2009. The BMW Sauber F1 Team travels to the home of its premium partner PETRONAS for the second round of the 2009 World Championship. The Twin Towers, the company’s head office, are a major landmark of Kuala Lumpur. The GP at the Sepang circuit normally takes place in extreme heat, making it one of the toughest races of the season.

Robert Kubica:
“The Malaysian Grand Prix is always something very special, as it is like a home race for us because of PETRONAS. We have a lot of fans in Malaysia and it is really a special feeling to drive there. The race went extremely well for me last year. Of course I hope that we can get a strong result again this time around.

I’m really looking forward to this GP, as this is a unique track with a wide variety of corners; some are seriously quick, but others are very slow. And in some places you can choose different lines, which makes it particularly interesting. The final sector is very different from the other two, as it has just two long straights and a hard braking area. This track really offers everything, and that means it demands a lot of the car. The later start time means there is a pretty strong chance of rain. I’m sure that we are in for an extremely interesting weekend.”

Nick Heidfeld:
“For me Sepang is a nice, challenging circuit. Last year I managed to pull off some good overtaking moves there. The heat is always an issue, coupled with a high level of humidity. However, I’ve never had a problem with it and am particularly fit this year. We’ve often experienced cloudbursts in Malaysia in the late afternoon and early evening. This year’s schedule increases the chances that we will still be on the track at this time. Hopefully it will still be light enough.

I always feel very much at ease in Malaysia. All the activities we’ve been involved in with PETRONAS have given me the chance to see a bit of the country and I’ve also been here on holiday. There is not a lot of time before the grand prix this year, but we have engagements with PETRONAS on Tuesday and Wednesday – and of course there will be a visit to the PETRONAS Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. The towers fascinate me every time I see them, especially at night when they’re illuminated.”

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
“After the opening race of the season in Melbourne, we are now very much looking forward to our first home Grand Prix of 2009. Every year since our team was founded in 2006 we have seen for ourselves the charismatic presence of our premium partner PETRONAS in Malaysia. It is always amazing to experience the fantastic reception we enjoy as a team in Malaysia.

Last year Nick recorded our first ever fastest race lap as a team in Sepang and Robert finished in an outstanding second place. Our aim is to pick up from where we left off with these good performances.

The BMW Group has stepped up its involvement in Malaysia in recent years as part of its Asia strategy. The first of a total of seven races in Asia this year is an important one for BMW and PETRONAS, and will be keenly fought, that’s for certain!”

Willy Rampf, Head of Engineering:
“We always look forward to this race in particular, as it’s the home Grand Prix for our partner PETRONAS. The Sepang circuit is very challenging and places big demands on the chassis and the teams’ choice of set-up. There are fast ess-bends in which stability is critical. At the same time, you need good traction under acceleration out of the tight corners, some of which are uphill. The right-hander before the back straight, which closes up at the exit, is especially tricky.

Because the tyres are placed under heavy loads in the fast corners, in particular, in Sepang, we use the soft and the hard compound here. So we’re driving a level harder on them than in Melbourne. Cooling is also an issue, given the high ambient temperatures. And, of course, the weather is very unpredictable. You always have to be prepared for rain here.”

History and background:

Formula One will visit the Sepang International Circuit for the 11th time in 2009. The circuit is located just under an hour’s drive south of the vibrant downtown area of Kuala Lumpur.

The name Kuala Lumpur translates as “muddy estuary” after its location at the mouth of the rivers Gombak and Klang. KL, as the city is popularly known today, is the heartbeat of modern Malaysia. With a population of around 1.5 million, more than half of them Chinese, the capital is also the country’s largest city. Extending over an area of 244 square kilometres, KL offers a thriving Asian culture alongside British colonial buildings and landmark high-tech edifices such as the 88-storey PETRONAS Twin Towers that rise to a height of 452 metres.

Kuala Lumpur was founded in the middle of the jungle by tin miners in 1857. In 1896, under British rule, the Malay Sultanates formed the Federation of Malaya with Kuala Lumpur as its capital. In 1957 Kuala Lumpur became the capital of the newly independent country.

The PETRONAS (Petroliam Nasional Berhad) company, which is the premium partner of the BMW Sauber F1 Team, was founded on 17th August 1974. PETRONAS, with its head office in Kuala Lumpur’s Twin Towers, is a multinational gas and petroleum group operating in more than 30 countries. The group is engaged at a local and global level. Its activities include upstream exploration and production as well as downstream oil refining, marketing and distribution of petroleum products, trading, gas processing and liquefaction, gas pipeline network operations, marketing of liquefied natural gas, manufacturing and marketing of petrochemical products, maritime logistics and property investment.

BMW Sauber F1 Team - Malaysian GP - Qualifying

Weather: dry, 33-29°air, 47-36°C track, 63-80 % humidity

Sepang (MAL). In the heat of the Sepang International Circuit Robert Kubica qualified eighth for the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix. His team-mate in the BMW Sauber F1 Team, Nick Heidfeld, just missed the top ten qualifying and came 11th. Due to penalties for other drivers, Robert gains two and Nick one position.


Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.09-05 / BMW P86/9
Qualifying: 8th, 1.36.106 min (3rd Practice: 11th, 1.36.563 min)
“I’m satisfied with what I was able to achieve today. Although we didn’t make any major changes after free practice the car was bottoming quite a lot, which made it unstable and therefore not easy to drive. I did what I could in the corners, but the straights are long here and give the drivers who are using a KERS a major advantage. I have to start on the dirty side of the track plus I have some cars with a KERS behind me, which will make the start very interesting.”

Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.09-04 / BMW P86/9 (KERS)
Qualifying: 11th, 1.34.769 min in Q2 / (3rd Practice: 15th 1.37.026 min)
“Of course I’m very disappointed. I looked fairly safe in Q2 when I was seventh, but on my second quick run I had traffic on the out lap. Two cars in front of me and one behind meant that I couldn’t go at the pace needed to heat the tyres up, and then the important lap wasn’t good enough. After we did the comparison yesterday I was using the KERS today and it helped, especially in sector one where I was the fastest car for most of the time.“

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
“The rain that was expected for qualifying didn’t come, and the result confirms the picture we already saw emerging in Melbourne. It remains difficult to break into the ranks of the teams with the two step diffusers. Having said this, we have to be satisfied with the positions we have achieved. Due to two drivers having penalties that will drop them down the grid, Robert and Nick will be starting from sixth and tenth. For tomorrow there is also a high chance of rain, which means the order could get mixed up during the race.”

Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering):
“We knew it would be very difficult, but nevertheless we hoped to get both our drivers into Q3. Unfortunately that didn’t work out with Nick. Because of traffic on his final out lap he was not able to heat his tyres up properly. Robert was consistently doing well, and did the best he could. Being sixth is an acceptable grid position with our strategy.”



Edited by kbannon

Exclusive previews, fascinating feature stories and exciting reviews: BMW Sauber F1 Team TV takes you closer to Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld in 2009. Kuala Lumpur is the stage for the second race of the season.