BMW Sauber F1 Team - Spanisch 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).