BMW Sauber F1 Team - Japanese GP

BMW Sauber F1 Team - Japanese GP - Preview

10th � 12th October 2008
16th of 18 World Championship races

The mountain calls. Following the night race in Singapore � as glamorous as the BMW Sauber F1 Team�s points haul was modest � Formula One now heads for the Japanese Alps to race at the foot of the sacred volcano of Mount Fuji.

There are still three races on the agenda, including the Japanese Grand Prix on 12th October. Rarely has a season proved as diverse and unpredictable as this one. The battle for the top places in the World Championship rankings is about to enter its decisive phase.


Nick Heidfeld:
�Firstly, I�m hoping Fuji won�t bring the kind of torrential rain we had in 2007. Basically I enjoy driving in the rain, but with last year�s deluge it was just impossible. Visibility was zero, which led to a number of collisions. Somebody drove into my car as well and damaged it. Even so, shortly before the end I was in sixth place, but then an engine problem put me out of the race.

�It�s a fun circuit. There are lots of uphill and downhill gradients and several blind corners. But I�m a bit hard on it as Suzuka was always my favourite GP track. One feature of the Fuji circuit that stands out is its extremely long straight.

�It�s a beautiful landscape, and the road from the hotel to the track could serve as an excellent rally special stage. I hope Mount Fuji is going to show its face again. Overall there doesn�t seem to be much going on in the area, but that�s fine after all the hustle and bustle of Singapore.�

Robert Kubica:
�This season we go to Fuji for the second year in a row. I guess everybody remembers last year�s Japanese Grand Prix as the weather conditions were crazy. It was extremely wet and visibility was poor. From a driver�s perspective the track is very interesting. There are some challenging corners with different radii and also some blind corners. Under dry conditions it was very enjoyable to drive, although the last sector is quite slow as there are a lot of tight corners.

�As always in Japan, I think the fans will bring a unique atmosphere to the Formula One track. Usually they come to the track early in the morning and leave it after us.�

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
�The spectacular night-race premiere in Singapore is over. For the next two races we will be stopping off in Asia as well, first in Japan and just a week later in China. Some team members flew back to Munich and Hinwil from Singapore, while others stayed on in Asia for a few days� relaxation. Others, in turn, are travelling to South Korea, where Nick will be doing some demo drives with the Formula One car on Saturday and Sunday.

�The Fuji Speedway celebrated its successful comeback to the F1 calendar in 2007. The circuit is in a picturesque setting in the Japanese Alps, against the backdrop of Mount Fuji that rises majestically behind it. Last year, however, the sacred mountain could only be seen on Friday, and in the sunshine it was the most photographed view. Unfortunately, it then disappeared behind a thick wall of fog and rain and was never seen again. The weather had a profound impact on the entire race weekend in 2007.

�After our unlucky experience with the Safety Car regulations in Singapore � the second time this season � which lost us important points, we aim to make up for lost ground in Japan. In the Drivers� and Constructors� Championships the leaders are bunched close together, which promises plenty of excitement for the remaining races.�

Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
�After the spectacular night race in Singapore, Formula One will be returning to normality in Fuji. Last year was our first race there, though it was dominated by a very wet track. But we still managed to gather some information in terms of the car set-up.

�At around 1.5 kilometres, Fuji boasts the longest genuine straight of any Grand Prix circuit. It means there are real overtaking opportunities. At the same time, the medium-fast and fast turns require plenty of downforce, which calls for a compromise in the aero set-up. In Fuji we drive with medium downforce, comparable to Valencia. Bridgestone supplies the two medium tyre compounds, which shouldn�t pose us any major problems.

�After Singapore�s turbulent race, where the Safety Car phase threw a spanner into the works, we want to achieve a strong points haul with both cars in Japan.�


History and background:

The Fuji race track opened its gates in 1966. It has already hosted Formula One races in 1976 and 1977, and even then became notorious for its rain. At the start of the 1976 GP � the closing race of the season � the rain was bucketing down. Aquaplaning forced defending champion Niki Lauda to park his Ferrari in the pits after just two laps. Mario Andretti went on to win the race, and James Hunt was crowned World Champion with a single-point lead.

In 2005 the complex was given a complete overhaul in order to meet the Formula One standards set out by the FIA. 2007 saw the return of Formula One to the Fuji circuit. As of 2009, the Japanese Grand Prix is to be held alternately in Suzuka and Fuji.

The Speedway takes its name from Fujiyama or Fuji-san, as the mountain is more commonly known today. Both �yama� and �san� can mean �mountain�, depending on whether one follows Kunyomi or Onyomi pronunciation.

The composite volcano rising to a height of 3,776 metres above sea level is Japan�s tallest mountain. Its rock is dated 100,000 years old. Not only is the volcano a highly popular photo opportunity, it is still active, though classified as harmless. The last eruption was recorded in 1707.

Mount Fuji is in the Japanese Alps on the main island of Honshu. Its summit marks the border between Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures. Geologically, the volcano is located where the Eurasian, Pacific and Philippine plates meet.

Thanks to its gently sloping contours, it is relatively easy to climb. The first to do so was a Japanese monk in the year 663. Today such an expedition has lost any trace of exclusivity, with thousands of people congregating at its peak in summer.

Lewis Hamilton said that he is ready to become history�s youngest world champion.

Meanwhile, BMW Sauber�s Robert Kubica has not given up his own hopes of the title.

source

BMW Sauber F1 Team - Japanese GP - Race

Weather: Dry but overcast, Air: 16-17°C, Track: 21-22°C

Fuji (JP). In the Japanese Grand Prix the BMW Sauber F1 Team claimed its eleventh podium of the 2008 season. Robert Kubica finished second in Fuji, coming from sixth on the grid. It is the seventh podium for the Pole this year and his third second place. Nick Heidfeld, who started from 16th, improved to tenth in the dramatic race, which saw the championship contenders dropping back right after the start. In the Constructors’ Championship the BMW Sauber F1 Team is third, 13 points behind leader Ferrari.

Robert Kubica: 2nd
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:19.292 min on lap 16 (7th fastest overall)
“My start was good but the clutch slipped a little, therefore Jarno Trulli was able to pass me on the straight. I then decided to take the inside line and braked very late, too late actually and I locked the front wheels. But then everybody went wide while I was more or less able to keep my line, and after the second corner I was in front. I then tried to pull away, but I couldn’t. My tyres were graining and I lost time, particularly in the last sector. I was pushing as hard as I could, but after the pit stop, Fernando Alonso was in front of me and I was not able to match his pace. At the beginning of the final stint the tyres were graining heavily and my lap times were slow, so I came under strong pressure from Kimi Räikkönen and we had a great fight. At one point he was beside me in corner two, but I was on the inside, just didn’t back off and was able to keep him behind. After a few laps the graining went away and I was able to run at my normal pace. It’s a great result for the whole team at a time when it is not easy. We have been struggling a little bit recently and we were under pressure from some teams, so this second place is a real boost for our morale. Now we have nothing to lose, but everything is possible.”

Nick Heidfeld: 10th
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:19.461 min on lap 67 (8th fastest overall)
“Compared to the Williams cars in front of me, my start was okay, but the Hondas behind got off the grid even better. There was an awful lot of traffic in the first corner and I was lucky to get through all the hassle. For me the nicest moment of the race was certainly when I managed to overtake two cars at the same time on lap four. I was on a one stop strategy and, as well as that, the second last one-stopper to pit. It was not easy to handle the heavy car. Now I’m looking forward to next weekend’s race in Shanghai where we should do better in qualifying.“

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
“This was a really strong performance from Robert. In the first corner chaos after the start he took the lead. Later in the race he had to let Fernando Alonso go, but defended successfully against Kimi Räikkönen. It was our team’s eleventh podium of the season, and Robert has now been on the podium seven times in 2008. Nick also did a good job by improving from 16th to tenth, but couldn’t score points today. We are now looking forward to exciting final races in China and Brazil.”

Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
”Contrary to all the prophecies, this was an exciting race. Robert had the best result at the start as he managed to take the lead, thanks to a little bit of luck and lots of guts. He was in the lead until the first pit stops, but after that we weren’t able to match the pace of Fernando Alonso. In the third stint Robert defended his position from the attacks by Kimi Räikkönen in a clever and fair way, and claimed his well earned seventh podium of the season. That was really a brilliant performance by Robert. Nick managed to move up to tenth with a one-stop-strategy, but unfortunately, because of coming from 16th on the gird, more than this was not possible.”