BMW Sauber F1 Team - Brazilian GP
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Printed Date: 21-May-2024 at 17:17
Topic: BMW Sauber F1 Team - Brazilian GP
Posted By: kbannon
Subject: BMW Sauber F1 Team - Brazilian GP
Date Posted: 25-October-2008 at 08:26
BMW Sauber F1 Team - Brazilian GP - Preview
24-10-2008 Press Release
31st October – 2nd November 2008
18th and final World Championship race
Munich/Hinwil, 24th October 2008. Rarely has a season been so
unpredictable. Fears of humdrum afternoons were dispelled as thrilling
battles unfolded; while where high drama was expected, an orderly
procession ensued. On 2nd November one of the most exciting Formula One
seasons on record will go down to the wire in São Paulo. All we know
for certain is both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships
will be decided at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Although still in its early years on the grid, the BMW Sauber F1
Team retained an outside chance of claiming both titles right up to the
17th of 18 World Championship races. A one two, a total of 11 podium
finishes, one pole position and two fastest race laps, as well as 100%
technical reliability and the fastest pit stops on the grid, have so
far provided the success stories in the team’s third season.
Robert Kubica goes into the final race of 2008 determined to hold
onto his third place in the drivers’ standings. But that is no easy
task, with the Ferrari of reigning World Champion and last year’s
Brazilian Grand Prix winner, Kimi Räikkönen, lurking six points behind
him. Nick Heidfeld lies fifth in the standings, nine points behind the
Finn and seven ahead of Renault’s resurgent Fernando Alonso.
The Constructors’ Championship could also see further shifts in
position. The BMW Sauber F1 Team is currently third on 135 points, ten
points behind McLaren Mercedes. In 2007 the BMW Sauber F1 Team
collected 101 points in 17 World Championship races.
While Heidfeld will line up at Interlagos with the same powertrain
as in China, Kubica is due both a new engine and gearbox. The two
drivers have been out of sync in this respect since the first race of
the season, when Kubica’s F1.08 was rear-ended in the Australian Grand
Prix.
Before setting off for Brazil, the team’s drivers and management
are scheduled to make a pit stop in Munich. Kubica is visiting the BMW
plants in Landshut and Dingolfing today (Friday), then on Saturday he
and Heidfeld, the test drivers Christian Klien and Marko Asmer, plus
Mario Theissen, Willy Rampf and Peter Sauber will all be attending the
BMW Sauber F1 Team Race Club Fan Event in and around the BMW branch in
Fröttmaning. Around 1,000 members of the fan club came to last year’s
get-together in Munich. The highlight of the event will once again be
the demo runs with the Formula One car on a sealed-off road.
Nick Heidfeld:
“I’m pleased for the fans, but also personally, that we have an
exciting finale to the World Championship. Plus, I’m curious to see
whether the track is still the same as it was in 2007. That was a nice
surprise, as the track’s surface used to be really bad and very bumpy.
It was always being patched up, but it was only when the track was
re-asphalted ahead of the 2007 Grand Prix that it really became a good
surface. The layout of the Interlagos track is excellent and very
demanding on the drivers – not least, of course, as far as our neck
muscles are concerned. I think São Paulo’s pretty cool as a city, but
at the back of your mind are always the stories about muggings and you
hear about that sort of thing every year.”
Robert Kubica:
“Brazil is traditionally the final race of the season, and
Interlagos is a very demanding and interesting circuit. My first race
there was in 2002 in Formula Renault, and I’ve been back with the BMW
Sauber F1 Team for the last two years. Interlagos is physically very
tiring because we drive the circuit anticlockwise. That’s something
we’re not used to, and we feel it especially in the neck. I’m currently
third in the drivers’ standings, six points in front of Kimi, and, of
course, it’s my aim to defend this position.”
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
“The 2008 Formula One season is now going onto the finishing
straight. In 2007 the outcome of the title was only decided in a
thrilling final race in Brazil. Perhaps the Formula One fans will also
get to enjoy a similarly exciting finale this year. Two drivers still
have a chance of becoming World Champion in São Paulo.
“The Interlagos circuit has many different aspects, and the weather
can also be unpredictable. The long, uphill start-finish straight
places particularly heavy loads on the engines. This uphill section
also makes the start extremely exciting. Another of its characteristic
is the altitude of São Paulo. The thin air means that the engines
generate approximately eight percent lower output than at sea level. We
are very much looking forward to the final race of 2008 and are aiming
to record another good result to round off the season.
“This is the final race in what has been our most successful season
since the launch of the BMW Sauber F1 Team. We have achieved our
ambitious aims for the third year in succession. We not only proved to
be one of the top teams from the outset, we also recorded our maiden
race win. It was all the sweeter, of course, that our success in Canada
came in the form of a one two. As things stand, we have now had 11
podium finishes this year, compared with two in 2007. This statistic
alone is evidence of the considerable steps forward we have made.
“Added to that, Nick brought us our first fastest race lap in
Malaysia, Robert claimed our first pole position in Bahrain, and we’ve
now scored points in 34 consecutive races, something no other team can
match. The last time we went home empty-handed from a GP weekend was in
Brazil in the final race of 2006. This achievement does not come down
to chance. Our trump cards this season have been spotless reliability,
our – for the most part – excellent race strategy, outstanding work in
the pit stops and a very small number of mistakes from the drivers.
“In terms of pure performance, we still have ground to make up on
Ferrari and McLaren Mercedes, and we didn’t make the progress we hoped
to in the second half of the season. Indeed, some of our development
projects did not yield the expected performance gains on the track. But
I am certain we shall learn the lessons from this for 2009. After all,
we want to be up there fighting for the World Championship title next
season.”
Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
“For us, the Brazilian Grand Prix represents the end of a highly
successful season, and of course we want to round the year off on a
positive note. Interlagos is one of the few circuits – alongside
Istanbul Park and Singapore – which we drive anticlockwise. Here, the
middle sector is critical, with one corner following the next. The key
elements are good traction and car balance. Top speed is important in
the first and third sectors, with engine output playing a particularly
prominent role on the uphill start-finish straight. This section also
offers a good overtaking opportunity, as does the end of the straight
in sector one. The track was resurfaced in 2007, which evened out a lot
of bumps. In contrast to last year, when we opted for the softest tyre
option, this time around we’ll be using the medium compounds.”
History and background:
Paulista coffee plantations laid the foundations for the economic
growth of the region around São Paulo in south-eastern Brazil. The
industrialisation of the late 19th century brought riches, but these
have been spread unevenly among the population. Today, the people of
São Paulo suffer from the effects of jarring social disparities –
bitter poverty and immense wealth exist side by side and crime is rife.
The city of São Paulo, founded in 1554, is the capital of the Brazilian
state that bears its name and the country’s financial and trading hub.
The size of the local population can only be estimated. Eleven million
people are thought to live in the city itself, 20 million in the wider
São Paulo area. The climate is subtropical.
F1 has been hosted by Brazil since 1973, and 2008 marks the
country’s 36th Grand Prix. The debut event was held at Interlagos, with
the track still covering 7.96 kilometres at the time and located
outside the São Paulo city limits. The city has since mushroomed right
up to the outskirts of the race track. In 1978 the Brazilian GP was
hosted by the Jacarepagua circuit near Rio de Janeiro for the first
time, and it was held there on ten occasions in all. In 1990 F1
returned to Interlagos, where the Brazilian GP has been staged ever
since.
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Posted By: kbannon
Date Posted: 31-October-2008 at 22:28
BMW Sauber F1 Team - Brazilian GP - Practice
31-10-2008 Press Release
Weather: overcast, some raindrops, 17°C Air, 21-22°C Track
Interlagos (BR). Despite some drops of rain, the very last Friday
sessions of the 2008 Formula One season went smoothly for the BMW
Sauber F1 Team. Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld completed their
respective programmes in preparation for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: 4th, 1:12.874 min / 2nd Practice: 12th, 1:12.971 min
“This was a usual Friday and we finished our scheduled programme.
We did some basic set-up work and evaluated the different tyre
compounds. At the end of both the sessions there was drizzle in some of
the corners. However, the few drops did not really influence the grip.
We shall now analyse the data we collected today.”
Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: 9th, 1:13.426 min / 2nd Practice: 13th, 1:13.038 min
“After being really unhappy with the balance of the car in the
first session, we improved it for the afternoon, but I still find the
car difficult to drive. Because of the weather the programme was a
little bit different to normal, but we have enough information to work
on further improvements. The track isn’t as good as it was after it was
freshly resurfaced last year, but it is still far better than it used
to be! I would say it is on the same level as other Grand Prix
circuits.”
Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
“It was a normal first practice day. Although the light rain
started at exactly the moment we did the tyre comparison, despite this
we collected enough data for us now to be able to analyse. We presume
the weather could give us some surprises throughout the whole weekend.”
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Posted By: kbannon
Date Posted: 02-November-2008 at 13:06
BMW Sauber F1 Team - Brazilian GP - Qualifying
01-11-2008 Press Release
Weather: dry, partly overcast, 20-22°C Air, 28-40°C Track
Interlagos (BR). Very mixed emotions for the BMW Sauber F1 Team
after the final qualifying of the 2008 season: While Nick Heidfeld made
it easily into the top ten and qualified eighth for the Brazilian Grand
Prix, Robert Kubica struggled with a lack of grip and dropped out in
the second part of qualifying. The Pole only qualified 13th in
Interlagos.
Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
Qualifying 8th, 1.13.297 min (3rd Practice: 6th, 1.12.402 min)
“Qualifying was okay for me. In Q3 I thought in the end I could
have improved more than the three tenths of a second I managed from the
harder to the softer compound, but I have to say it was a good lap and
I just couldn’t do any better. I really hope for a good race tomorrow.”
Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
Qualifying 13th, 1:12.300 min in Q2 (3rd Practice: 14th, 1:12.971 min)
“This is obviously not the best position for tomorrow’s race. This
is the second weekend in a row that I have been struggling with the
overall grip of the car. Starting from so far behind will make the race
very difficult for me.”
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
“Traditionally on this track the time differences in qualifying are
very close. Sometimes five or six cars are within one tenth of a
second. A driver who is not able to fully exploit the potential there
and then will find himself on the back of the grid. We are not happy
with our result and, especially for Robert, the situation is not easy
for the race. He has been suffering from lack of grip throughout the
whole weekend, and we did not completely solve the problem in
qualifying. Nick did better and set the eighth quickest time. Only
tomorrow when we get to the first set of pit stops shall we see what we
can do from here.”
Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
“We cannot be happy with our qualifying. Robert did not make it
beyond Q2. Ten cars were within three tenths of a second, so with only
the slightest mistake one is out. Nick did better. Our goal is now to
make up a few positions.”
+++ The BMW Sauber F1.09 roll-out will take place on 20 January 2009 in Valencia. +++
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Posted By: kbannon
Date Posted: 02-November-2008 at 23:34
BMW Sauber F1 Team - Brazilian Grand Prix - Race
02-11-2008 Press Release
Weather: Showers, 26-30°C Air, 20-38°C Track
Interlagos (BR). The BMW Sauber F1 Team had a disappointing final
to what was a very successful season. At the Brazilian Grand Prix at
Interlagos Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica finished tenth and eleventh.
For the first time since 34 races (2006 Brazilian Grand Prix) the team
failed to score in a race. Kubica finished fourth in the championship
behind Kimi Räikkönen, with both of them having scored 75 points.
Heidfeld is sixth in the final standings, with 60 points. In the
Constructors’ championship the BMW Sauber F1 Team is third (135
points).
Nick Heidfeld: 10th
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
Fastest lap 1:14.652 min on lap 41 (10th fastest overall)
“My biggest problem today was the start. I just had too much wheel
spin, so I literally stuck on the spot. Then I had a few good
overtaking manoeuvres and gained positions. Later the balance of my car
tended to become very difficult and, especially when I was behind Jarno
Trulli, I lost downforce. Later in the race I was behind Mark Webber
and tried to fight him, which ruined my tyres. When the first rain
drops appeared with eight laps to go I gambled and pitted for
intermediates. There was nothing to lose. I was tenth, but
unfortunately I stayed tenth. Anyway we didn’t have a good race today,
but nevertheless we had a good season. Congratulations to the world
champions!”
Robert Kubica: 11th
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
Fastest lap 1:14.375 min on lap 61 (9th fastest overall)
“Losing third place in the Drivers’ championship in the last race
is definitely not the best situation. We made too many mistakes during
the weekend and this is the result. Unfortunately I started on dry
tyres, as we had the wrong information about the track conditions.
During the race I was stuck behind Adrian Sutil for quite a long time.
I managed to make up some positions in the final laps of the race, but
it was too late. Congratulations to Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton!”
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
“As last year, it was a dramatic final. Lewis Hamilton clinched his
title literally on the last kilometre of this race – congratulations,
also to Ferrari! For our team it was a disappointing finish to a very
strong season.”
Willy Rampf (Technischer Director):
“For our team this was an end of season to forget. With Robert we
gambled at the start with dry tyres, but the track was too wet.
Therefore he pitted immediately for a tyre change, and after this found
himself at the end of the field. From here there was nothing he could
do. Nick lost position right after the start. Even pitting earlier than
others at the end of the race did not change the situation.
Nevertheless it was a very successful season for our team, and this
race doesn’t change this. Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton and to
Ferrari for winning the championship.”
+++ BMW Sauber F1.09 roll-out: 20 January 2009 in Valencia. +++
Test in Barcelona: 17 Nov Kubica/Klien, 18 Nov Kubica/Heidfeld, 19 Nov Heidfeld/Klien
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