BMW Sauber F1 Team - Spanish GP - Preview
Spanish Grand Prix.
25th - 27th April 2008
4th of 18 World Championship races
Preview.
Munich/Hinwil, 18th April 2008. The BMW Sauber F1 Team has barely embarked on
its third season and is already heading for its first Formula One grand prix as
the leader of the constructors' championship. In the first three World
Championship races of the 2008 season, the team was on the podium each time
(two second places and a third), had its first pole position (Robert
Kubica/Bahrain) and set its first fastest race lap (Nick Heidfeld/Malaysia).
With 30 points, the BMW Sauber F1 Team is one ahead of Ferrari and two of
McLaren Mercedes. During the brief spring break all the teams have been
upgrading their cars in preparation for the European curtain-raiser in
Barcelona on 27th April. The Spanish Grand Prix on the impressive, but
unforgiving, Circuit de Catalunya could prompt a reappraisal of where the teams
stand relative to one another.
Nick Heidfeld:
"The Spanish Grand Prix has its own special ambience because the stands are now
regularly packed to the rafters. The fans ensure a brilliant atmosphere, which
we as drivers pick up on to some extent as well.
"Although I have already clocked up hundreds of race and test laps on the
Circuit de Catalunya, boredom just doesn't come into it. It has often been the
case that a set-up determined during testing was no longer the right one for
the race weekend. That could be due to the weather or to the condition of the
track, which naturally accumulates much more rubber deposits over a grand prix
weekend than during testing.
"Now the question everybody wants to hear the answer to is: how well are the
new components, with which we've modified the BMW Sauber F1.08 since the
initial overseas races, going to work? I'm also very keen to see whether we
have made more progress with our new developments than the competition. At any
rate, I'm confident that we will be just as strong as in Australia, Malaysia
and Bahrain."
Robert Kubica:
"I think we will have a more predictable race than the first three overseas
grands prix. The conditions this time round are completely different. All the
teams know the Barcelona circuit like the back of their hands because we do a
lot of testing here. That's why I expect the gaps between the teams to become a
lot smaller than in the last races.
"Everyone will be coming to the season's first European grand prix on top form.
I guess all the teams will be lining up with an improved car. But at the same
time that means we also have to get the maximum out of the BMW Sauber F1.08. If
we manage that, and since the latest test in Barcelona I am firmly convinced we
will, I'll be racing right up at the front again. My goal is to achieve a good
result to earn as many points as possible for myself and the team."
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
"It was a textbook start to the season for our BMW Sauber F1 Team. We're no
longer the number three team, as last year, but over the first three races we
have carved out our niche right up among the top three teams. The workforces in
Munich and Hinwil are accordingly elated and fired up with incentive.
"We used the three-week break after the batch of overseas races for our
intensive preparation for the European opener in Spain. The race in Barcelona
is almost like a second start to the season. For the first time in 2008,
Formula One will be rolling up in Spain with everything in tow: trucks and
hospitality facilities not only make a great impression; more importantly, they
save a tremendous amount of work.
"The Circuit de Catalunya is one that makes wide-ranging demands and is
frequently used for testing by the teams. It has often served as a yardstick
for their general competitiveness. Here all the teams will be taking a step
forward on the development front, us included. Afterwards there will be a fresh
assessment of how things stand."
Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
"I can't wait to see how things pan out in Barcelona because almost all the
teams have been testing improvements to their cars here last week. Everyone has
made progress, but the key question is, how much compared to the competition?
That's why it's set to be a very interesting race and one that will also point
the way ahead for the coming weeks and months. We've been pretty happy with our
improvements, so we should be able to keep up with the front runners as before.
"Barcelona is a circuit the teams know back to front from the numerous tests
that are carried out here. And yet it proves a challenge each time around, with
the wind often playing a crucial role. It means the balance constantly has to
be adjusted. The many medium-fast and high-speed corners demand a great deal of
downforce, which means the tyres come in for some punishment. That's why we use
the hardest compounds here."
"For Facts and Figures please see the attached document."
History and background:
2008 sees the 18th Spanish Grand Prix to be hosted at the Circuit de Catalunya
north of Barcelona. The first two Spanish GPs since the official inauguration
of Formula One were held in Pedralbes (1951 and 1954). Later venues were Jarama
(9 GPs), Montjuich (4) and Jerez (5). Formula One has been staged in Barcelona
since 1991. In total, there have been 37 Spanish GPs so far.
The city of Barcelona (population approx. 1.8 million) with its Mediterranean
port lies in the northwest of Spain, around 120 kilometres south of the
Pyrenees. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and Spain's second-largest city.
Schedule for group interviews at the weekend:
Thursday:
13.30-13.50 - Nick Heidfeld - print media
13.50-14.00 - Nick Heidfeld - TV
13.30-13.40 - Robert Kubica - TV
13.40-14.00 - Robert Kubica - print media
14.00-14.10 - Christian Klien - TV
14.10-14.30 - Christian Klien - print media
15.30-15.35 - Mario Theissen - TV
15.35-16.00 - Mario Theissen - print media
18.00-18.30 - Willy Rampf - by prior arrangement only
Friday:
16.00 - Willy Rampf - FIA press conference
16.45-16.55 - Nick Heidfeld - TV
16.45-16.55 - Robert Kubica - TV
Saturday:
16.45-16.55 - Nick Heidfeld - TV
16.55-17.15 - Nick Heidfeld - print media
16.45-17.05 - Robert Kubica - print media
17.05-17.15 - Robert Kubica -TV
17.30-17.35 - Mario Theissen - TV
17.35-18.00 - Mario Theissen - print media
Sunday:
Approx. 30 minutes after the end of the race, Heidfeld, Kubica, Theissen and
Rampf will be on hand in the team's Hospitality area.
Involvement in the FIA press conference means the group interviews will be
cancelled on the relevant day.
For further information please visit the media website
www.press.bmw-motorsport.com (press releases, press kits, images, TV footage)
and the official team website www.bmw-sauber-f1.com (car, season, Race Club,
team updates).