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   BMW Sauber F1 Team - British Grand Prix - Preview

12.06.2009
Press Release
19th – 21st June 2009 
8th of 17 World Championship races 

Munich/Hinwil, 12thJune 2009. Spurred on by the World Championship points collected in Turkey, the BMW Sauber F1 Team is working tirelessly on further improvements to the F1.09. The British Grand Prix at Silverstone offers another opportunity for the recently debuted double-decker diffuser to prove its mettle, along with a series of other upgrades. 

The ingredients which make up the special atmosphere at the British Grand Prix read like a template for motor sport: a challenging track layout, renowned high-speed corners, frequently unpredictable weather and, above all, enthusiastic fans. This is racing at its purest. The large number of medium and high-speed corners at Silverstone place a premium on downforce and aerodynamic balance. 

Many will travel to Silverstone this year with tears in their eyes; for 2010 there is no Formula One race planned at the time-honoured Northamptonshire circuit. Instead the British Grand Prix is supposed to move to Donington Park. 

Robert Kubica: 
“I always like to go racing at Silverstone. The British fans are amazing. It is a historic motor sport place and you can always feel the special racing atmosphere there. Usually the weather is quite unpredictable at Silverstone. Wind plays an important role. Especially in the high-speed corners it can have a big effect on the car’s behaviour. From a driver’s perspective the circuit is quite challenging. The first sector is very fast and has a couple of real high-speed corners. I think Silverstone might be a track that suits our car.” 

Nick Heidfeld: 
“I’ve always really liked driving at Silverstone and I’ve been there many times. I first raced at the track in Formula 3000 and then did a lot of kilometres there in my early days as a Formula One test driver. I’ve always enjoyed competing at the circuit but, despite the number of laps I’ve covered there, for some reason it has never been one of my showcase tracks, unlike Budapest or Suzuka. Last year’s race in Silverstone was great. In the middle of all the chaos caused by the weather we opted for the right tyres, and I was able to pull off several good overtaking manoeuvres and finish second. 

“The whole opening section at Silverstone is fantastic – very fast and unmistakable. I would be really disappointed if Silverstone did end up being taken off the calendar. I’ve never found the circuit outdated – traditional yes, but not antiquated. In addition to the wonderful corners at the track, the very special atmosphere generated by the fans would be a big loss.” 

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director: 
“Going into the British Grand Prix we are well aware that we still have a serious amount of work to do. However, we can now build on our performance in Istanbul. We fitted a double-decker diffuser for the first time in Turkey and the effect was clear. Our car was fast enough to score points thanks to our own performance. Of course, nobody within the team is satisfied with the result, but we will use it as a platform to put the next steps into action. We have increased our speed of development and will arrive at Silverstone with another package of new components. From now on we will introduce significant improvements to the car at two to three-race intervals, and these will include further development stages of the double-decker diffuser. We are a long way away from writing off the 2009 season.” 

Willy Rampf, Head of Engineering: 
“To be quick at Silverstone you need to have a car with a lot of downforce, but above all one with very good balance. The track is characterised by its many medium and high-speed corners, and it is critical that the drivers carry a lot of speed out of them. Maggots-Becketts-Chapel is one of the best and most challenging combinations on the Formula One calendar. The track surface is pretty rough, which means that tyres come in for a good deal of punishment. Bridgestone is bringing the same two compounds to Silverstone which did such a good job in Istanbul. We used the double-decker diffuser for the first time in Turkey and took a step forward as a result. This was certainly pleasing, but we are still far from satisfied with the situation. Our intention is to introduce improvements to the car at short intervals. We will be running a further developed front wing at Silverstone with the aim of improving the balance of the car. I am confident we can continue our upward trend.” 

Facts and figures: 
Circuit/Date: Silverstone / 21st June 2009 
Start time (local/UTC): 13.00 hrs / 12.00 hrs 
Lap/Race distance: 5.141 km / 308.355 km (60 laps) 
Corners: 10 right-hand and 7 left-hand corners 
Winner 2008: Lewis Hamilton, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, 1 hr 39:09.440 min 
Pole position 2008: Heikki Kovalainen, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, 1:21.049 min 
Fastest lap 2008: Kimi Räikkönen, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, 1:32.150 min 

Data 2008: 
Full-throttle percentage: 64% 
Top speed: 294 km/h 
Longest section at full throttle: 12 sec / 890 m 
Gear changes per lap: 40 
Tyre wear: medium to high 
Brake wear: low 
Downforce level: high 

BMW Sauber F1 Team 
Founded: 01.01.2006 
Locations: Munich (DE) and Hinwil (CH) 
F1 debut: 2006, Melbourne 
GP starts: 58 
Pole positions: 1 
Wins: 1 
Podium places: 16 (6 x 3rd / 9 x 2nd / 1 x 1st) 
Fastest laps: 2 
World Championship placings: 
5th (2006), 36 points 
2nd (2007), 101 points 
3rd (2008), 135 points 
8th (2009), 8 points after 7 GPs 

History and background 
“Welcome to Silverstone – The Home of British Motor Racing” is the confident welcome above the main entrance to the venue for the British Grand Prix. 2009 sees Silverstone host the race for the 43rd time. The circuit is located in a rural setting about halfway between Birmingham to the north and Oxford to the south. Formerly a military airfield during the Second World War, the venue witnessed its first race on 2nd October 1948. Since the official inauguration of Formula One (in 1950) the British Grand Prix has also been held at Aintree (five times) and Brands Hatch (12 times). England has also played host to three European Grands Prix: at Brands Hatch in 1983 and 1985 and at Donington Park in 1993. 

Author	Message
Melvyn Pettit Forum Member Joined: 18 Apr 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1089	Topic: BMW Sauber F1 Team - British Grand Prix Posted: 16 Jun 2009 at 2:04pm
	BMW Sauber F1 Team - British Grand Prix - Preview 12.06.2009 Press Release 19th – 21st June 2009 8th of 17 World Championship races Munich/Hinwil, 12thJune 2009. Spurred on by the World Championship points collected in Turkey, the BMW Sauber F1 Team is working tirelessly on further improvements to the F1.09. The British Grand Prix at Silverstone offers another opportunity for the recently debuted double-decker diffuser to prove its mettle, along with a series of other upgrades. The ingredients which make up the special atmosphere at the British Grand Prix read like a template for motor sport: a challenging track layout, renowned high-speed corners, frequently unpredictable weather and, above all, enthusiastic fans. This is racing at its purest. The large number of medium and high-speed corners at Silverstone place a premium on downforce and aerodynamic balance. Many will travel to Silverstone this year with tears in their eyes; for 2010 there is no Formula One race planned at the time-honoured Northamptonshire circuit. Instead the British Grand Prix is supposed to move to Donington Park. Robert Kubica: “I always like to go racing at Silverstone. The British fans are amazing. It is a historic motor sport place and you can always feel the special racing atmosphere there. Usually the weather is quite unpredictable at Silverstone. Wind plays an important role. Especially in the high-speed corners it can have a big effect on the car’s behaviour. From a driver’s perspective the circuit is quite challenging. The first sector is very fast and has a couple of real high-speed corners. I think Silverstone might be a track that suits our car.” Nick Heidfeld: “I’ve always really liked driving at Silverstone and I’ve been there many times. I first raced at the track in Formula 3000 and then did a lot of kilometres there in my early days as a Formula One test driver. I’ve always enjoyed competing at the circuit but, despite the number of laps I’ve covered there, for some reason it has never been one of my showcase tracks, unlike Budapest or Suzuka. Last year’s race in Silverstone was great. In the middle of all the chaos caused by the weather we opted for the right tyres, and I was able to pull off several good overtaking manoeuvres and finish second. “The whole opening section at Silverstone is fantastic – very fast and unmistakable. I would be really disappointed if Silverstone did end up being taken off the calendar. I’ve never found the circuit outdated – traditional yes, but not antiquated. In addition to the wonderful corners at the track, the very special atmosphere generated by the fans would be a big loss.” Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director: “Going into the British Grand Prix we are well aware that we still have a serious amount of work to do. However, we can now build on our performance in Istanbul. We fitted a double-decker diffuser for the first time in Turkey and the effect was clear. Our car was fast enough to score points thanks to our own performance. Of course, nobody within the team is satisfied with the result, but we will use it as a platform to put the next steps into action. We have increased our speed of development and will arrive at Silverstone with another package of new components. From now on we will introduce significant improvements to the car at two to three-race intervals, and these will include further development stages of the double-decker diffuser. We are a long way away from writing off the 2009 season.” Willy Rampf, Head of Engineering: “To be quick at Silverstone you need to have a car with a lot of downforce, but above all one with very good balance. The track is characterised by its many medium and high-speed corners, and it is critical that the drivers carry a lot of speed out of them. Maggots-Becketts-Chapel is one of the best and most challenging combinations on the Formula One calendar. The track surface is pretty rough, which means that tyres come in for a good deal of punishment. Bridgestone is bringing the same two compounds to Silverstone which did such a good job in Istanbul. We used the double-decker diffuser for the first time in Turkey and took a step forward as a result. This was certainly pleasing, but we are still far from satisfied with the situation. Our intention is to introduce improvements to the car at short intervals. We will be running a further developed front wing at Silverstone with the aim of improving the balance of the car. I am confident we can continue our upward trend.” Facts and figures: Circuit/Date: Silverstone / 21st June 2009 Start time (local/UTC): 13.00 hrs / 12.00 hrs Lap/Race distance: 5.141 km / 308.355 km (60 laps) Corners: 10 right-hand and 7 left-hand corners Winner 2008: Lewis Hamilton, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, 1 hr 39:09.440 min Pole position 2008: Heikki Kovalainen, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, 1:21.049 min Fastest lap 2008: Kimi Räikkönen, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, 1:32.150 min Data 2008: Full-throttle percentage: 64% Top speed: 294 km/h Longest section at full throttle: 12 sec / 890 m Gear changes per lap: 40 Tyre wear: medium to high Brake wear: low Downforce level: high BMW Sauber F1 Team Founded: 01.01.2006 Locations: Munich (DE) and Hinwil (CH) F1 debut: 2006, Melbourne GP starts: 58 Pole positions: 1 Wins: 1 Podium places: 16 (6 x 3rd / 9 x 2nd / 1 x 1st) Fastest laps: 2 World Championship placings: 5th (2006), 36 points 2nd (2007), 101 points 3rd (2008), 135 points 8th (2009), 8 points after 7 GPs History and background “Welcome to Silverstone – The Home of British Motor Racing” is the confident welcome above the main entrance to the venue for the British Grand Prix. 2009 sees Silverstone host the race for the 43rd time. The circuit is located in a rural setting about halfway between Birmingham to the north and Oxford to the south. Formerly a military airfield during the Second World War, the venue witnessed its first race on 2nd October 1948. Since the official inauguration of Formula One (in 1950) the British Grand Prix has also been held at Aintree (five times) and Brands Hatch (12 times). England has also played host to three European Grands Prix: at Brands Hatch in 1983 and 1985 and at Donington Park in 1993.
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Melvyn Pettit Forum Member Joined: 18 Apr 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1089	Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 5:54pm
	BMW Sauber F1 Team - British Grand Prix - Practice 19.06.2009 Press Release Weather: dry, overcast, 14-17°C Air, 20-34°C Track Silverstone (GB). Mixed feelings for the BMW Sauber F1 Team on the first day of the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. While Nick Heidfeld was able to complete his programme as planned in both sessions and test the new front wing, Robert Kubica suffered from technical problems. In the second session he was only able to do little mileage. After an evident loss of engine power the team ordered him to pit and in 35 minutes replaced the engine, which had almost reached the end of its scheduled life circle. Robert Kubica: BMW Sauber F1.09-03 / BMW P86/9 1st Free Practice: 20th, 1:21:801 min / 2nd Free Practice: 11th, 1:20.622 min “It was a difficult day for me. In the morning I had electronic problems on the car which prevented me from doing one single proper outing. Then, in the early stages of the second free practice the engine lost power. A big thank you to the mechanics who did a fantastic job changing it in a very short time! This meant that at least I had the chance to do two problem-free outings in the afternoon and some set-up work.” Nick Heidfeld: BMW Sauber F1.09-06 / BMW P86/9 1st Free Practice: 13th, 1:21.103 min / 2nd Free Practice: 15th, 1:20.932 min ”For me it was a rather normal Friday. I did the tyre comparison and set-up work as planned. The track was very dusty, dirtier than usual, and therefore improved quite quickly during the session. That makes it difficult to make a judgement on the changes and on the new front wing, but I think it is better and gives us more downforce.“ Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering): “We started the race weekend with a new front wing that just was delivered in during the first session. The first impression was positive. We concentrated fully on set-up work today. Nick finished his programme as scheduled and also did a long-run in preparation for the race in the afternoon. Meanwhile Robert lost some valuable time due to various reasons. In the first session he had cut outs due to the electronics. We changed the relevant parts. In the afternoon he told us he had a sudden loss of power. We immediately called him in, because we did not want to run the risk of him having to stop on the track. The engine was changed in a record time of 35 minutes so he was able to finish part of his programme.” Edited by Melvyn Pettit - 19 Jun 2009 at 6:11pm
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Melvyn Pettit Forum Member Joined: 18 Apr 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1089	Posted: 21 Jun 2009 at 10:05am
	BMW Sauber F1 Team - British Grand Prix - Qualifying 20.06.2009 Press Release Weather: dry and overcast, 13-16°C Air, 15-26°C Track Silverstone (GB). The BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld qualified only 12th and 15th for the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. Robert Kubica: BMW Sauber F1.09-03 / BMW P86/9 Qualifying 12th, 1:19.308 min in Q2 (3rd Free Practice: 20th, 1:21.039 min) “This has been a very difficult weekend so far. Yesterday, I had technical problems in both sessions and then again this morning. During the three free practice sessions I had maybe ten laps without any problems, which was simply not enough to do the necessary work. No surprise that the set-up of the car was not very good in qualifying. P12 was the maximum I could achieve under the circumstances.” Nick Heidfeld: BMW Sauber F1.09-06 / BMW P86/9 Qualifying 15th, 1:19.448 min in Q2 (3rd Free Practice: 18th, 1:20.696 min) “Being 15th on the grid is obviously disappointing, although I have to admit I didn’t have too high expectations before we came here. We brought a new front wing to this race, but other teams apparently have bigger updates. It will be difficult to collect points from where we are starting – that is if it stays dry, which is something you never can rely on here in Silverstone. However, for the next races we have more new parts, so we will keep working and never give up.” Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): “Obviously we are not satisfied with the qualifying result. Our goal was to get into the top 10. It did not help Robert that he has had technical problems in every free practice session, and therefore was not able to do proper set-up work.” Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering): “So far it has been a very difficult weekend for us, and that continued in qualifying. With starting positions 12 and 15 we are not satisfied. A main problem was getting the ideal tyre temperatures in these cold conditions. Even with our new aero-update that did not work out.” Edited by Melvyn Pettit - 21 Jun 2009 at 10:35am
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Melvyn Pettit Forum Member Joined: 18 Apr 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1089	Posted: 21 Jun 2009 at 8:15pm
	BMW Sauber F1 Team - British Grand Prix - Race 21.06.2009 Press Release Weather: overcast and dry, 16°C Air, 26-30°C Track Silverstone (GB). The BMW Sauber F1 Team took away nothing from the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. Robert Kubica was 13th on Sunday, his team mate Nick Heidfeld was 15th. Robert Kubica: 13th BMW Sauber F1.09-03 / BMW P86/9 Fastest lap 1:22.182 min on lap 41 (14th fastest overall) “This was a very difficult race for me. Starting from P12 it was clear under normal circumstances we couldn’t achieve much, therefore we decided to take a risk and start the race with a high fuel load and on the prime tyres. But it didn’t pay off, because I had big problems heating up the tyres at the start, and I lost ground. We have to accept that 13th is just what was possible today.” Nick Heidfeld: 15th BMW Sauber F1.09-06 / BMW P86/9 Fastest lap 1:21.956 min on lap 59 (13th fastest overall) “I’d say given our poor qualifying results the race result was what we expected. There wasn’t much we could come away with. At the start I risked a lot when I went for a rather small gap. I damaged my front wing but I was happy it wasn’t worse than that. Of course it significantly affected the aerodynamics, but we decided to wait until the scheduled pit stop so not to lose even more time. For the second stint I had to use the harder tyre compound, but the softer ones were clearly the better ones.“ Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): “For us the race reflects the performance we showed in yesterday's qualifying. Overall it was a disappointing weekend for our team. We will speed up our development programme. The only out of the ordinary situation from our point of view today was when Nick touched another car on the first lap and damaged his front wing. Although he was able to continue until the scheduled pit stop he lost a lot of time.” Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering): “We are obviously not happy with this result, but unfortunately it reflects our qualifying performance. In the race we were struggling to get the tyres into the window when they were working at their best. Both drivers complained about lack of grip on the hard compound. With the softer tyre, the pace was acceptable. But at the end of the day here the car was just not competitive. At the Nürburgring we will introduce the next aerodynamic update.” Edited by Melvyn Pettit - 21 Jun 2009 at 8:42pm
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