BMW Sauber F1 Team - Spanish Grand Prix - Preview

Spanish Grand Prix. 11th - 13th May 2007 4th of 17 World Championship
rounds Preview. The European curtain-raiser of the 2007 Formula One
World Championship has the added attraction of being a kind of second
start to the season. Barcelona offers the F1 teams the first
opportunity of the year to roll out their stylish yet practical
motorhomes, meaning that they no longer have to live out of containers.
The first race back in the old continent invariably draws huge crowds.
The organisers are reporting a full house and expect 145,000 spectators
for the race. Meanwhile, the BMW Sauber F1 Team is doing its bit to
bring the Formula One feeling from the race track - located outside
Barcelona - into the centre of the Catalan capital. On its latest
stop-off, the Pit Lane Park is taking shape in the city's portside area
within eyeshot of the Columbus Monument. The BMW Sauber F1 Team has
just completed four days of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya with
race drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica. After establishing itself
as the third-strongest outfit on the grid in the first three grands
prix of the year, the team is looking to defend its position in Europe.
Nick Heidfeld: "I've been on the move a lot during the break since
Bahrain - in Leipzig, Munich and Hinwil, in Monza for filming work, at
the Nürburgring Nordschleife and in Barcelona for the test. At the
Nürburgring I did my inspection lap in a Formula BMW car. It was
a funny feeling getting back into a junior racing car, but there's no
comparison between this car and the single-seaters I started out in.
I'll be at the wheel of the Formula BMW car once again on the Wednesday
before the Barcelona race, this time in Valencia as part of a
three-pronged sporting challenge with yachtsman Tony Kolb and golf pro
José Manuel Lara. "Taking a Formula One racer out on the
Nordschleife was an extraordinary experience. I very much enjoy driving
the car in unusual surroundings - I took it for a spin on the ice of St
Moritz and now I've put in a few laps at the 'Green Hell' as well.
We'll have to wait and see if there's more to come. "Of course,
all the teams have used the time leading up to the first race of the
European season for development work. The test in Barcelona was also
important, although the weather was pretty poor. The extensive testing
carried out here means that all the drivers know the track like the
back of their hand. It's a fast circuit and has some nice corners. The
fact that this is now the home GP for the world champion has made it
much more attractive. Additional grandstands were built for the 2006
race, and they filled up as well. Racing in this kind of atmosphere is
great for all the drivers, not only Fernando. The track layout has been
modified - the new section is less exciting, but safer. Now I'm hoping
for another good result for my 30th birthday!" Robert Kubica:
"I'm looking forward to getting started in Europe again and am
aiming to earn myself a few more points in the coming weeks. Like all
the Formula One teams we know the Barcelona track very well thanks to
all the testing we do here. However, the circuit has been changed since
last year. The last two corners are not as fast as they used to be,
and that will affect car set-up. We have done some more testing in
Barcelona in the lead-up to this year's race. Here, it was important to
go the right way and find the ideal balance for the car. We have a lot
of data at our disposal and I think we can be quick from the start.
"I like the track, but I'm afraid that the new corners have taken
away some of its charm. Fast corners with high downforce are a real
treat in a Formula One car. But now the two high-speed corners have
been replaced by a tight chicane, where you are only doing 60 or 70
km/h. We used to hit 260 km/h through that part of the track. This
change to the track means less fun, but greater safety." Mario
Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director: "Our performances in the first
three rounds of the World Championship have given us a very good start
to the season and we have used the time since the Bahrain Grand Prix to
fit in some intensive development work. Our rivals will certainly have
been doing much the same, though, and the burning question is whether
the balance of power has shifted as a result. Our aim is very clear -
to maintain our position as the third-best team on the grid. The
Circuit de Catalunya is a circuit which places a variety of different
demands on the cars, and this has often resulted in it being used as a
gauge of a team's overall competitiveness. "The first race back
in Europe is also like a second start to the season in another respect.
This is the first time in 2007 that the Formula One World Championship
will be reeling out its full regalia. The trucks and hospitality
facilities certainly look very impressive, but more importantly they
also lighten the workload on the teams. And that's something we're all
very pleased about. "As announced, following the overseas races
we have been looking closely at the driver line-up for the Friday of
the GP weekends. Until further notice, the two race drivers will be on
track for the whole of Friday. "Barcelona will see us offering
fans and spectators their second opportunity of the year after Kuala
Lumpur to visit the BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park. Like last year,
this high-tech experience park will be set up in the portside area,
near the Ramblas in the centre of Barcelona. The Park is an emotional
platform and offers visitors high entertainment value. Nowhere else can
the fans enjoy this kind of unobstructed glimpse behind the scenes,
reach out and touch real Formula One exhibits and witness an F1 car in
spectacular action at close quarters. The Pit Lane Park was given a
very good reception in 2006 and attracted over 30,000 people to its
2007 debut in Malaysia last month. I am in no doubt that it will leave
a lasting impression with everybody who visits it again this
season." Willy Rampf, Technical Director: "Barcelona is one
of the most popular testing venues for the teams, which might lead you
to think that all the cars will automatically have a good set-up as a
result. The fact is, however, that this course reacts very strongly to
fluctuations in temperature, and often the wind also has a big impact.
All of which means that the track can present a different challenge
time after time. "The modifications to the last two corners have
significantly decreased the speed of the cars through this section of
the circuit, and this has somewhat reduced the previously very high
loads on the left front tyre. In testing we tried out various new
aerodynamics and chassis components, as well as modifications to the
car's electronics - and these have yielded very promising results. I'm,
therefore, approaching the race in confident mood." History and
background: The first two Spanish GPs since the official inauguration
of Formula One in 1950 took place in Pedralbes. The subsequent venues
were Jarama (9 GPs), Montjuich (4) and Jerez (5). To date, a total of
36 Spanish Formula One GPs have been staged. Since 1991 the event has
been hosted by the Circuit de Catalunya, about half an hour's drive
northeast of Barcelona. 2007 marks the 17th Spanish Grand Prix to be
held there. The city of Barcelona (population approx. 1.8 million) lies
in northeastern Spain and is an important Mediterranean port. The
capital of Catalonia, it is the state's economic and cultural hub and
home to several universities and institutes of higher education as well
as numerous museums and cultural monuments. Among the city's most
famous sons is the art nouveau architect Antonio Gaudí
(1852-1926), who bequeathed many works to the city, including the as
yet unfinished Church of the Sagrada Familia. 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 - Sebastian
Vettel - TV 14.10-14.30 - Sebastian Vettel - print media 15.30-16.00 -
Mario Theissen - TV and print media Friday: 16.00 - Nick Heidfeld and
Mario Theissen - FIA press conference 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 17.30-18.00 - Mario Theissen - TV and 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. TV
footage can be downloaded at www.thenewsmarket.com. Recordings can be
ordered from ICN (David Beck), dbeck@icnsport.com. Latest photos are
regularly available at https://newsroom.bmwgroup.com/global/en