PR: BMW Sauber F1 Team - Canadian GP - Race - Bavarian-Board.co.uk

BMW Sauber F1 Team - Canadian GP - Race
08-06-2008 Press Release

Weather: dry, sunny and very windy. Air: 26, Track: 34-36

Montreal (CA). It is done! Non-stop celebrations for the BMW Sauber F1 Team: The maiden win for the young team turned out to be a double victory when Robert Kubica crossed the line ahead of his team mate, Nick Heidfeld, at the Canadian Grand Prix. Kubica now leads the drivers� championship. In the constructors� standings the BMW Sauber F1 Team is second, three points behind Ferrari.

Robert Kubica: 1st
BMW Sauber F1.08-03 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:17.539 min on lap 47 (4th fastest overall)
"I�m very happy at having won the first race for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. I�m also happy for Poland and all my fans. It was a very difficult race for me. I started on the dirty side of the track and Kimi Raikkonen was nearly able to pass me, but I just managed to keep him behind. The timing of the Safety Car was unlucky for me, because I wanted to pit, but then the yellow light went on just about three seconds too early, so I had to continue. When the pitlane was open, almost everybody pitted together. I stopped at the exit because the light was still red. Kimi stopped beside me, and then I heard the noise when Hamilton crashed into his car. I have to be grateful to Lewis as he chose Kimi and not myself. After this pit stop I was stuck behind the one-stoppers and lost a lot of time. Timo Glock was the last one of them to stop, and only then could I push. I had just eight laps to increase the gap to 21 seconds, which was a huge challenge. I finally managed to get a 24 second lead, which meant I was able to stay ahead of Nick. From this moment on I took it a bit easier, but even then it�s very easy to make a mistake, particularly because of the tarmac that was destroyed in some places. But it all worked out and I�m just happy!"

Nick Heidfeld: 2nd
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:17.430 min on lap 25 (2nd fastest overall)
"Congratulations to Robert for winning this race, which he really deserved! I made a poor start and lost a position to Rubens Barrichello. Fortunately I was able to pass him, and from this moment on I was one of the fastest cars on the track. I stayed out when most of the other cars pitted because I was on a long stint. I was pushing very hard at that stage. We then decided to switch to a one stop strategy, with a very high fuel load and with the soft option tyres which was a challenge. However, I was able to keep Fernando Alonso behind me. After his second pit stop Robert stayed ahead so I secured second place. Finishing second after starting from eighth is a great result, especially considering the difficult time I have had recently. Thanks a lot to the guys in Hinwil, who built me a new chassis after the accident I had with Alonso in Monaco!"

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"It is fantastic, I am overwhelmed. It is difficult to find the right words. Today just everything worked well. We hoped for another podium here in Montreal, but would not have dreamed to get a one-two victory. Congratulations to Robert and Nick and to the entire team at home in Munich and Hinwil. Today we achieved a milestone. Both drivers worked with no errors and the strategies paid off. I think we will have to celebrate a lot today."

Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
"What a day! I just can�t put my feelings into words after that race. Both drivers and the entire crew did a perfect job today. Robert had lost time when he was stuck behind slower cars after the Safety Car period, but in a fantastic sprint he made up for it and secured himself the race win. For Nick today was ideal. We shouldn�t forget he started eighth. At certain times in the race he was the fastest man on track. When we switched him to a one-stop strategy we took pretty much of a risk, especially with regards to the tyres because Nick had to drive with the softer option for a very long time. Today everything paid off � decisions on the day as well as all the work done over the last two and half years."

Facts and figures.

At the Canadian Grand Prix on 8th June 2008, Robert Kubica claimed the BMW Sauber F1 Team�s maiden victory ahead of his team mate Nick Heidfeld.

It was the 42nd Grand Prix for the team.

Prior to this win, the BMW Sauber F1 Team had been on the podium eight times: at the 2006 Hungarian GP (Nick Heidfeld/3rd place), 2006 Italian GP (Robert Kubica/3rd place), 2007 Canadian GP (Heidfeld/2nd place), 2007 Hungarian GP (Heidfeld/3rd place), 2008 Australian GP (Heidfeld/2nd place), 2008 Malaysian GP (Kubica/2nd place), 2008 Bahrain GP (Kubica/3rd place), 2008 Monaco GP (Kubica/2nd place)..

In the years before BMW bought it (1993-2005), the Sauber Team�s highest race finish was third (six times).

The first Formula One win by a BMW engine was on 13th June 1982 (Nelson Piquet, Brabham BMW, Canada).

The last Formula One win to date by a BMW engine was on 24th October 2004 (Juan Pablo Montoya, BMW WilliamsF1 Team, Brazil).

With Brabham, BMW claimed eight wins in the years 1982 to 1985. The final victory with the legendary turbo unit was in 1986 with Benetton. During the partnership with WilliamsF1 (2000 to 2005) the tally was ten wins.

1983 saw Nelson Piquet win the Formula One Drivers� Championship (Brabham BMW). In total BMW had recorded 19 Grand Prix wins and 33 pole positions before the BMW Sauber F1 Team was founded.

Landmarks.

16th/17th January 2006: The BMW Sauber F1 Team appears in public for the first time in Valencia. The BMW Sauber F1.06 has its first outing.

12th March 2006: The BMW Sauber F1 Team competes in its first GP in Bahrain.

19th March 2006: The team picks up its first World Championship points in the second race when Jacques Villeneuve finishes seventh in Malaysia.

2nd April 2006: In the third GP both drivers make it into the points; Heidfeld finishes fourth and Villeneuve sixth in Australia.

6th August 2006: Heidfeld secures the first podium place in the team�s 13th World Championship race. Kubica has his debut Formula One race in Budapest.

10th September 2006: Kubica claims the team�s second trophy after finishing third in Monza.

October 2006: The Hinwil wind tunnel is operating in three shifts. A year previously it had been on a single daily shift.

22nd October 2006: The BMW Sauber F1 Team finishes fifth in the Constructors� Championship at the end of its maiden year.

16th January 2007: Presentation of the BMW Sauber F1.07 and the BMW Sauber F1 Team in Valencia.

10th June 2007: Nick Heidfeld takes the first runner-up place for the team. Robert Kubica survives a serious accident practically unscathed.

The BMW Sauber F1 Team finishes its second season third overall. In the statistics it even appears in second place (after exclusion of McLaren Mercedes).

The team has moved into its new building in Hinwil. 150 new employers have been taken on board since the end of 2005.

14th January 2008: The BMW Sauber F1.08 is being launched in the �BMW Welt� in Munich.

23rd March 2008: Heidfeld scores the first fastest race lap for team.

5th April 2008: Kubica achieved the first pole position for the BMW Sauber F1 Team.