BMW Sauber F1 Team - GP Spain - Preview

Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona. 12th - 14th May 2006 6th of 18 World
Championship rounds Preview. Munich/Hinwil, 7th May 2006. This coming
Sunday, 14th May 2006, Formula One will be rolling onto the grid of the
Circuit de Catalunya for the next World Championship race - the sixth
of 18. With such a tight schedule, teams will have to do their packing
and unpacking in record time. En route from the Eifel to Barcelona, the
team trucks and motorhomes will clock up a good 1,300 kilometres. That
leaves no time for a breather, let alone any testing. Nick Heidfeld:
"Every driver is very familiar with the circuit at Barcelona
because so much testing takes place there. That's mainly because the
Circuit de Catalunya is a very challenging track in terms of
aerodynamics. That more or less sums up the circuit: it is fast, and in
its great high-speed corners you have to make sure your aerodynamics do
the job. In the meantime, the race has also taken on a special status
from a spectator point of view - due to Fernando Alonso's success, of
course. During the last test session I noticed they've even built new
stands and heard that it's a sell-out event. It looks like the Spanish
GP is going to be a very good race." Jacques Villeneuve:
"The Circuit de Catalunya is a good circuit and one where I've been
pretty successful, having won three GPs there. And of course we all
know the track like the back of our hands because we do a lot of
testing there. It has a couple of exciting high-speed corners, but not
too many overtaking opportunities. There's quite a lot of understeer to
contend with. But the race track apart, Barcelona's a great city! It's
a happening place where people like to go out and the atmosphere is
great. I love the lifestyle of the city. It's sometimes a bit difficult
to understand Catalan, but with a smattering of Spanish you can get
by." Robert Kubica: "This grand prix is a special one because
of all the testing that takes place here. For me, it's interesting to
compare my personal performance on familiar circuits and those that are
new to me. I like the circuit in Barcelona with its long, fast corners.
In my opinion it's one of the best Formula One tracks - it's
challenging and great fun driving an F1 car there. I'm really looking
forward to the weekend. Unfortunately I've never raced in Barcelona. My
first experience there was my debut Formula One test last December. But
since then I've had eight or nine days of testing on the circuit."
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director: "In previous years, Spain
often failed to attract a large number of fans. Then in 2005 the
organisers announced a sell-out crowd. It will be the same again this
year. The euphoria that Fernando Alonso has sparked off is quite
palpable. Spain is also a strong growth market for BMW and we welcome
the burgeoning interest in Formula One. Drivers and engineers regard
Barcelona as a known quantity. No other race track sees so much
testing, and the wealth of data for basic set-up is correspondingly
great. Nevertheless the race weekend throws up surprises time and
again. Conditions on the track change almost by the hour. Our aim is to
get both cars into the third qualifying session and to pick up a few
points in the race. After the successful debut of the BMW Sauber F1
Team Pit Lane Park, the theme park will make its second appearance in
Barcelona. But rather than at the race track, which is a long way out
of town, it will be set up in the heart of Barcelona - in the harbour
at the end of the famous Las Ramblas boulevard." Willy Rampf,
Technical Director Chassis: "Barcelona is known for its long,
high-speed turns such as T3 or the two right-handers before the
start/finish straight, where the left front tyre takes most of the
strain. That is why aerodynamic efficiency and tyre performance are
crucial. The circuit used to be known as a bit of a tyre-wrecker, but it
was resurfaced at the end of 2004, which meant softer rubber could be
used last year. The track is very sensitive to fluctuating
temperatures, which affects grip levels and consequently lap times. As
a result, you constantly have to make adjustments. Another difficulty
is that you can't ignore traction, as the left-hander at the end of the
back straight has been made even narrower." BMW Sauber F1 Team
Pit Lane Park: Following its successful debut at the Nürburgring,
the Pit Lane Park will be make its second appearance in Barcelona. This
time the complex won't be at the race track but in the bustling centre
of the city: at Barcelona's harbour at the end of the famous Las
Ramblas. The theme park once again offers: - repeated demonstration
runs by the Formula One car and a Formula BMW on the Pit Lane Park
track section, - show cars on display in the pit lane garages, - a
photo opportunity wearing racing overalls, - a wide range of technical
exhibits, - participation in an interactive Formula One quiz, - lining
up of teams to allow the public to test their skills in the Pit Shop
Challenge, - driving in the race simulator, - a BMW Sauber F1 Team
merchandising shop, - Speaker's Corner, where fans can put questions to
drivers and F1 experts several times over the weekend. - The Pit Lane
Park in Barcelona will be open to visitors free of charge from Friday
to Sunday evening, capacity permitting. - A VIP or press card is
required only for Saturday evening, when there will be a party with a
fashion show and a concert by the group Marlango with lead singer
Leonor Watling. - There are plans to set up the Pit Lane Park in
Silverstone, Montreal, Monza and Shanghai. History and background:
Since the official launch of Formula One in 1950, there have been 35
Spanish Grands Prix. The first two GPs were held in Pedralbes, and
subsequent venues were Jarama (9), Montjuich (4) and Jerez (5). Since
1991, Formula One has regularly been hosted by the Circuit de
Catalunya, which is about half an hour's drive north of the city of
Barcelona. 2006 sees the 16th Spanish GP held there. Since a crowd of
115,900 spectators thronged the circuit last year on race Sunday
(around 300,000 over the entire GP weekend), modernisation work has been
carried out. New toilets and ticket booths have been built in the
spectator area, pedestrian bridges and walkways have been extended and
more parking space created. Stand N has been redesigned and fitted with
seats, while Stands P and V are completely new. The city of Barcelona
(population approx. 1.8 million) with its Mediterranean port lies in
the northeast of Spain. It is the economic and cultural hub of
Catalonia and is home to several universities and colleges as well as
numerous museums and cultural monuments. It counts among its most
famous sons Art Nouveau architect Antonio Gaudí (1852-1926),
whose works include the still unfinished Church of the Sagrada Familia.
Schedule for group interviews at the weekend: Thursday: 13.30-13.50 -
Nick Heidfeld - written press 13.50-14.00 - Nick Heidfeld - TV
14.00-14.10 - Jacques Villeneuve - TV 14.10-14.30 - Jacques Villeneuve -
written press 14.00-14.10 - Robert Kubica - TV 14.10-14.30 - Robert
Kubica - written press 15.30-16.00 - Mario Theissen - TV and written
press Friday: 16.15-16.25 - Nick Heidfeld - TV 16.25-16.45 - Nick
Heidfeld - written press 16.15-16.35 - Jacques Villeneuve - written
press 16.35-16.45 - Jacques Villeneuve - TV 16.15-16.35 - Robert Kubica
- written press 16.35-16.45 - Robert Kubica - TV Saturday: 16.30-16.40
- Nick Heidfeld - TV 16.40-17.00 - Nick Heidfeld - written press
16.30-16.50 - Jacques Villeneuve - written press 16.50-17.00 - Jacques
Villeneuve -TV 17.30-18.00 - Mario Theissen - TV and written press
Sunday: Approx. 30 minutes after the end of the race Heidfeld,
Villeneuve, Theissen and Willy Rampf will be on hand at the Team's
motorhome. Involvement in the FIA press conference means the relevant
group interviews will be cancelled on the respective day. Latest
footage at www.thenewsmarket.com Latest photos at https://newsroom.bmwgroup.com/global/en