BMW Sauber F1 Team - Japanese GP
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Printed Date: 21-May-2024 at 21:05
Topic: BMW Sauber F1 Team - Japanese GP
Posted By: kbannon
Subject: BMW Sauber F1 Team - Japanese GP
Date Posted: 06-October-2008 at 21:15
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.
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Replies:
Posted By: kbannon
Date Posted: 10-October-2008 at 21:46
BMW Sauber F1 Team - Japanese GP - Practice
10-10-2008 Press Release
Weather: dry, sunny in the morning, overcast in the afternoon, 21-28°C Air, 29-31°C Track
Fuji (JP). Both the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers completed their
usual programme during the first free practice sessions in preparation
for the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix in Fuji, which basically is tyre
comparison and set-up work.
Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: 8th, 1:20.160 min / 2nd Practice: 11th, 1:18.865 min
“It was a normal Friday. We did some set-up work in the morning,
and concentrated on the tyre evaluation in the afternoon. I really
enjoyed driving on this track, as it’s demanding and fun at the same
time. The balance of the car is quite okay, but we are lacking overall
grip.”
Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: 14th, 1:20.628 min / 2nd Practice: 19th, 1:19.894 min
“My first day of practice didn’t go too smoothly this time. I’m not
happy with the balance of the car yet, it is sliding too much. Because
of this in the first session I spun once, which seldom happens to me.
Also, which is exceptional for us, in the second session I had minor
technical problems. First the brake balance adjuster in the cockpit
came loose, and shortly before the end of the session we had a
hydraulic alarm and I came into the pit. There were only three minutes
left, so it wasn’t worth going out again. However, I didn’t really
loose track time and it’s only Friday. I’m totally confident we shall
improve for tomorrow.”
Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
“That was a full Friday. The track was in a good condition right
from the beginning so we were able to start our set-up work early on.
As usual, we concentrated on set-up and tyre comparison. The long-runs
were satisfying. At the end of the second session Nick had a hydraulic
alarm, so we are now investigating the reason for this.”
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Posted By: thepits
Date Posted: 10-October-2008 at 22:06
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.
http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2009/10/8498.html - source
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But don't care.
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Posted By: kbannon
Date Posted: 11-October-2008 at 23:05
BMW Sauber F1 Team - Japanese GP - Qualifying
11-10-2008 Press Release
Weather: wet in the morning, dry for qualifying, 20-24°C Air, 22-25°C Track
Fuji (JP). While Robert Kubica came sixth in qualifying for the
Japanese Grand Prix, Nick Heidfeld just missed getting into Q2 when he
was 16th in Q1. In hindsight, the decision to stay on the harder tyre
compound for his second run in Q1 was too big a risk for him.
Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
Qualifying 6th, 1:18.979 min (3rd Practice: 1st, 1:25.087 min)
“Yesterday we were struggling with low grip, so the rain last night
and this morning definitely didn’t help us as it washed away the
rubber. The balance of the car was fine, but it was just lacking grip.
I tried everything I could, and this was the best I could manage. Sixth
is not bad under the circumstances.”
Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
Qualifying 16th, 1.18,835 min in Q1 (3. Training: 4th, 1.25,474 min)
“Now we know it was the wrong decision to stay on the harder tyre
compound for the second outing in Q1. After my initial run on the first
set of those tyres, I knew I could improve on the Prime tyres, so we
took the risk and put on another set. I actually did improve, I was
about half a second quicker, but still it wasn’t enough and I missed Q2
by one tenth of a second. Robert just made it. Of course from so far
back on the grid it will be very difficult to do something in the race.
But we have seen everything happen in Formula One and I shall never
give up.”
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
“Qualifying didn’t go as we hoped it would. The main reason was we
estimated incorrectly how the track conditions would improve, and their
influence on the tyres in Q1. We sent both drivers out twice on the
harder compound, while others were already changing to the softer
tyres. The unexpected big difference between both compounds left us in
the situation where Robert just made it into Q2 and Nick didn’t. In the
remaining qualifying sessions Robert put in the performance we were
expecting and was 6th.”
Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
“The most difficult part of today was the first session of
qualifying, during which we planned to use the harder of the two tyre
compounds. We wanted to have enough sets of the softer one for the
remainder of qualifying and for the race. This decision cost Nick a
place in Q2. It will be difficult to score points from 16th. Robert’s
performance was strong and he managed to clinch sixth. This was what we
realistically expected.”
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Posted By: kbannon
Date Posted: 15-October-2008 at 22:29
BMW Sauber F1 Team - Japanese GP - Race
12-10-2008 Press Release
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.”
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