BMW Sauber F1 Team - Interview with Nick Heidfeld
Questions to BMW Sauber F1 Team driver Nick Heidfeld.
Munich/Hinwil, 6th March 2009. BMW Sauber F1 Team driver, Nick
Heidfeld, can look back on a busy winter. He undertook an intensive
period of fitness training which has left him feeling stronger than
ever, got engaged to the mother of his children and has taken on with
great enthusiasm the challenges presented by the new generation of
Formula One cars. Nick already has seven days of testing with the BMW
Sauber F1.09 under his belt – in Valencia, Sakhir and Jerez – and will
complete another two in Barcelona on 9th and 10th March. After that,
his next outing will be at the opening race of the 2009 season: the
Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 27th-29th March.
Nick Heidfeld, are you happy with the team’s preparations for the season so far?
BMW Sauber F1 Team driver Nick Heidfeld: “This year our
preparations have been like a journey of discovery. There are so many
new things about the car which all of us have had to get to grips with,
and that’s a lot of fun. As far as I’m concerned, the testing we’ve
conducted so far has been very positive. The F1.09 is already driving
pretty well for a completely newly developed car and it reacts well to
changes in set-up. We can still improve on reliability but at no time
have we been confronted by unsolvable problems and we have racked up
more miles than several of our rivals. However, the restrictions on
testing mean that every lost mile on the track tends to hurt. We’ve
been able to make consistent improvements and still have a lot more
ideas which we can develop. Unfortunately, I can’t say where this puts
us in comparison with our rivals – everybody keeps their cards close to
their chests in testing. You never know exactly what kind of programme
the other teams are running, let alone how much fuel they have on
board. I’ll be happy when all the guessing games come to an end in
Melbourne.”
Which of the changes to the car do you like most?
Heidfeld: “Firstly, I think the idea underpinning all the changes
is the right one; after all, the aim was to make overtaking easier. I
also think that the interplay of the various factors will have an
effect here, if only to a certain degree – Formula One is not about to
suddenly become like touring car racing. I’m pleased to see the return
of slick tyres. I never liked the fact that, in Formula One of all
competitions, we didn’t have slicks for such a long time. The effects
of the noticeably reduced downforce on the cars’ aerodynamics require
an adjustment in driving style.”
Can you explain to us when and how you gain by adjusting the front wing from your steering wheel, as the regulations now allow.
Heidfeld: “It can enhance the car’s balance in various types of
corner. However, we are only allowed to use this system twice per lap –
i.e. we can make one adjustment to the wing and then return it to its
original setting. I doubt whether it really helps in terms of making
overtaking easier, but that’s something we’ll see in the races.”
And how are you getting on with the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS)?
Heidfeld: “This is good fun as well. It’s great when you press the
Boost button on the steering wheel and feel the extra shove of 80
horsepower. In testing I also got my first experience of how it feels
when another driver presses the button and you don’t – you’re just left
standing. You have to plan really well how you use this additional
power, and that’s the job of the driver during the race. We are allowed
to press the button for 6.5 seconds per lap. The system’s main
advantage is for overtaking when you’re up close behind someone, for
example in the opening stages of a race. As soon as we have reached 100
km/h – and that takes less than three seconds – the electronics release
the Boost button. You just need to have charged up the energy storage
unit first, of course.”
Aren’t all these functions confusing for you as a driver?
Heidfeld: “You get used to them. Although I’d have to say that my
steering wheel was clearer when we still had our own BMW electronics,
before the introduction of the standard F1 electronics. Back then we
had some clever sub-levels for various functions.”
What is your personal aim for the season?
Heidfeld: “That’s been the same for years. My goal is to get
everything possible out of the car and the situation on each lap and
each race weekend. What is actually possible is determined to a large
degree by our technical performance. The aim of the team is to be
involved in the title battle in 2009. In the past few years we have
always met our intermediate targets and I hope we manage to do that
again in 2009.”
Which would mean you’d have a good chance of recording your maiden grand prix victory…
Heidfeld: “Yes, in order to do that you have to have a car
underneath you that is capable of winning. That’s what I’m hoping for,
of course, and that’s what we are working to achieve.”
What is your contribution here?
Heidfeld: “I provide as much input as I can in the development of
the car. I explain to our engineers exactly how the car feels and where
I’d like things improved. I’m not a development engineer, but I think
that my experience enables me to offer feedback which can bring the
team forwards. Another aspect is my physical fitness. I’ve done more
fitness training this winter than ever before, and it has helped that
we’ve had more time available due to the testing restrictions. I feel
extremely fit now.”
Have you also been on a starvation diet? There has been much written about a slimming mania in Formula One.
Heidfeld: “No, I haven’t been on a starvation diet, and that would
also be the wrong way to go. There is a connection between weight and
performance. Hardcore dieting only weakens you. But I have been paying
a lot of attention to what I eat and have gradually lost two-and-a-half
kilos despite the extra muscle I’ve built up in training.”
Given the restrictions on testing, will you also need to step up your training programme during the season?
Heidfeld: “For sure. The best fitness training for a Formula One
driver is driving a Formula One car. We’ll need to make up for spending
less time in the car.”
Will you still have time to get married? You’re engaged now, of course…
Heidfeld: “We haven’t set a date yet, but that won’t create a problem. The ban on testing should make it possible.”
What’s your view on the cost-cutting approach adopted by Formula One?
Heidfeld: “I think it’s very important, and some of the ideas are
already bearing fruit. Each driver now only has eight engines for the
whole season, for example, and we won’t be doing any more testing from
the middle of March. This is the first time that the teams involved in
the World Championship have agreed on such major changes. And that is
something that should be warmly welcomed in the current economic
climate.”
Even if you are hit in the pocket as a result?
Heidfeld: “Nobody is happy about salary cuts. The driver is clearly
an important factor in the team. BMW draws up an objective cost-benefit
analysis for every area of the team’s budget and has never paid
“fantasy” salaries. As in the past, it’s just about reaching an
agreement.”
For further information please visit the official team website http://www.bmw-sauber-f1.com - www.bmw-sauber-f1.com (car,
season, Race Club, team updates).
------------- Current: 2009 E60 520d "Sport" tractor Previous: 1989 E30 320i SE 1997 E39 523i 2003 E39 525i Sport Individual
|