BMW Sauber F1 Team - Singapore GP
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Printed Date: 18-May-2024 at 21:05
Topic: BMW Sauber F1 Team - Singapore GP
Posted By: kbannon
Subject: BMW Sauber F1 Team - Singapore GP
Date Posted: 27-September-2008 at 18:54
BMW Sauber F1 Team - Singapore GP - Practice
26-09-2008 Press Release
Weather: dry track, humid air, 28°C Air, 27-29°C Track
Singapore (SG). The first ever night practice sessions in Formula
One history, that had been anticipated with a lot of excitement, went
smoothly for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. Neither the lights nor the vision
gave cause for any complaints, and the unique atmosphere for a Friday
attracted an unusually large crowd for the free practice of the
Singapore Grand Prix, which will be the BMW Sauber F1 Team’s 50th GP.
Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: 5th, 1:46.618 min / 2nd Practice: 6th, 1:46.384 min
“As expected the track is quite demanding – not only for the driver
but also for the car. You are always going round corners and the
surface is very bumpy, especially in two or three places. It is very
important to have a stable car here as you can easily lose a lot of
time in several corners. On the first lap I got used to the track and,
as I was going at a good pace immediately, we were then able to start
working on the set-up. In the second session we did the tyre
comparison. Now we have to analyse the data and see what we have to
change for tomorrow.”
Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: 8th, 1:46.964 min / 2nd Practice: 16th, 1:47.760 min
“Overall I had a good first practice day here, although my fastest
lap from the second session doesn’t give that impression. The track is
a lot of fun. It is much more of a street circuit than the new track in
Valencia and is more challenging. Here it’s significantly narrower.
When I walked the track on Wednesday night the straights appeared
relatively long, but that’s not the case when you fly along at F1
speed. I found it easy to get used to the light. After one or two laps
you forget it is artificial, although the brightness isn’t exactly the
same everywhere. Bumps are an issue, and there are plenty! I have no
problem adapting to the rhythm and turning night into day. I just stay
awake long enough and then sleep until lunchtime so I can be fit in the
late evenings.”
Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
“This was a good start to what will become the most exceptional
race weekend of the year. The atmosphere is fantastic, the style of the
place is unique. Both drivers needed a few laps to familiarise
themselves with the new circuit, and then, as usual, we were
concentrating on race preparation. We have been doing some set up
changes and will be analysing all the data tonight.”
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Posted By: kbannon
Date Posted: 27-September-2008 at 18:55
BMW Sauber F1 Team - Singapore GP - Qualifying
27-09-2008 Press Release
Weather: dry track, humid air, 29-31°C Air, 31-32°C Track
Singapore (SG). The BMW Sauber F1 Team achieved good results in
qualifying for the first ever night race in the history of Formula One.
Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix Robert Kubica qualified fourth in the
heat of the night, while Nick Heidfeld was sixth.
Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
Qualifying 4th, 1:45.779 min (3rd Practice: 7th, 1:45.425 min)
“My qualifying was quite ok. I’m happy with P4 but not with my
final lap. I was struggling a little bit with the overall grip. In the
last stint of Q3 I had hardly any grip in the first sector. I lost
quite a lot of time there. Felipe Massa was in front of me on his out
lap, perhaps the tyres didn’t reach the right temperature. However, the
race will be a completely different story. It will be a very tough one.
The track is very bumpy and very demanding. The tyre degradation will
be a crucial factor.”
Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
Qualifying 6th, 1:45.964 min (3rd Practice: 11th, 1:45.689 min)
“I’m quite happy as I had a good lap. Right from the first practice
sessions on Friday we have made several changes and most of them were
right. The car has improved and I have familiarised myself with this
circuit and also improved. Tomorrow a good start will be crucial.
Overtaking is extremely difficult here because the track is so narrow
and off line dirty and even bumpier. This could become the most
demanding Grand Prix of the year.”
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
“That was a very good performance by both of our drivers under
difficult conditions. We had to be prepared all the time for yellow
flags out on the track. Apart from that it wasn’t obvious which tyre
would be quicker. Because of that in Q1 and Q2 we went out twice and
used both types of tyres. In the end Robert made it to P4 with the
harder compound and Nick qualified sixth with the softer ones. We have
very good grid positions to start the race from.”
Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
“It was a very exciting qualifying, and with fourth and sixth we
are well prepared for the race. Under these tricky conditions both
drivers did a very good job to get a perfect lap. Even if overtaking
will be quite difficult, we are expecting an exciting race tomorrow.”
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Posted By: kbannon
Date Posted: 28-September-2008 at 19:47
BMW Sauber F1 Team - Singapore Grand Prix - Race
28-09-2008 Press Release
Weather: Dry track. Air: 28-30°C, Track: 31-32°C, Humidity: 66%-79%
Singapore (SG). Instead of the predicted procession on the narrow
Singapore Marina Circuit, the huge crowd saw a very exciting first
Formula One night race. However, the rewards for the BMW Sauber F1 Team
were somewhat poor with only three points for Nick Heidfeld (6th) after
Robert Kubica’s very bad luck. The Pole needed to refuel when the pit
lane was closed during a safety car period, and after being penalised
he finished eleventh.
Nick Heidfeld: 6th
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:47.306 min on lap 14 (11th fastest overall)
“Although I shouldn’t complain about finishing sixth when I came
from ninth, I must say it is such a shame I couldn’t show my pace
today. The car was so good and I could have gone a lot faster if I
hadn’t been stuck in traffic all the time. I was even saving fuel and
tyres because I hoped the others would kill their tyres and I could
attack later. I think some did ruin their rubber, but still this wasn’t
enough of an advantage to overtake. I had a good start during which I
managed to pass Nico Rosberg. However, because of how the race turned
out for me I hardly sweated at all.”
Robert Kubica: 11th
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:46.899 min on lap 14 (6th fastest overall)
“The race was physically very hard. There are so many bumps, I hope
the organisers will work on the surface for next year. On top of that,
the visibility was getting worse and worse as I was getting tired. Over
the final fifteen laps I had an incredible headache. The decision not
to pit on the first lap when the pit lane was closed because of the
Safety Car was unlucky, and cost me a good race result as the cars
behind me closed the gap. The team thought the pit lane would reopen
very soon, but this was not the case. However, that’s racing.”
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
“Another spectacular chapter was added to the Formula One history
book. The first night race was a total success. My compliments go to
the organisers. The race itself was turbulent and influenced by the
first safety car period. Unfortunately the safety car rule meant Robert
was completely out of contention in the race, whereas Nick was able to
stay out just long enough until the pit lane was reopened. This was a
shame for Robert because he was well on his way to score important
points for the championship standings. By finishing sixth Nick made up
three positions and scored three points. Everything didn’t go according
to plan either for our direct competitors as, apart from Nick, out of
the top six only Lewis Hamilton scored points. Congratulations to
Renault and Fernando Alonso for the win in this exciting race.”
Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
“The race start was okay for our drivers. Robert managed to defend
his position and Nick gained a place. After that the race went
according to plan for both cars and they were able to open a gap over
the cars behind. However, then the first safety car period ruined
Robert's race completely. We had to refuel although the pit lane was
still closed. The penalty dropped Robert into a hopeless position at
the end of the field - and this on a circuit where anyway you can
hardly overtake. In the end Nick scored three points, so this means we
have still scored championship points in every Grand Prix this year.”
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