BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM - BELGIAN GP

BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM - BELGIAN GP - PREVIEW
29/08/2008

5th – 7th September 2008
13th of 18 World Championship races

Munich/Hinwil, 29th August 2008. Formula One trades stifling urban heat for fresh mountain air: after the Valencia street circuit on which the BMW Sauber F1 Team took its eighth podium place of the season, the Belgian Grand Prix beckons in the Ardennes. Covering over seven kilometres, Spa-Francorchamps is the longest race track in the calendar and also features the most extensive full-throttle section by far.

Nick Heidfeld:
“Spa is a fantastic race track with unique corners and a very special character. Although these days with the V8 engines it is no problem taking the Eau Rouge combination in the hollow at full throttle, it remains a standout feature. Compression is absolutely no problem physically, but it’s nevertheless a very special sensation. For the spectators too, I can well recommend this section. It’s very impressive the way the cars come roaring along downhill and then accelerate uphill again. In the current race calendar, Spa is the nearest GP circuit to my home town of Mönchengladbach, and that’s another reason for me to look forward to the Belgian Grand Prix, where I’ll be aiming to achieve a good result.”

Robert Kubica:
“From my point of view the race in Spa is one of the best Grands Prix in the calendar. It is a very unique track with high-speed corners you can approach with different racing lines. The most famous corners in Spa-Francorchamps are definitely Eau Rouge and the Bus Stop chicane, which was modified before last year’s race. The circuit is very long and very tricky. You have to find the right balance and the right configuration of the car in order not to lose any lap time. Another crucial factor is the weather in Belgium. It can rain in one sector and it can be dry in another sector. I am really looking forward to the race”

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
“Spa-Francorchamps is one of the specialities in the Formula One calendar. We look forward to the only course in the calendar that can still be described as a natural circuit since it follows the features of the landscape. In the Ardennes, steep inclines are as much a feature as the unpredictable weather.

“Spa may not be the track with the highest speeds – that accolade belongs to Monza – but in Spa we have the longest stretch taken at full throttle. Since the modification of the famous Eau Rouge corner and the introduction of V8 engines, drivers can go flat-out through the section from the hairpin shortly after the start, through the hollow and then uphill again. In last year’s race we calculated that our drivers held the pedal to the floor for more than 1,865 metres, or 24 seconds. Engine power and stability are key requirements here.

“Nick’s F1.08 is scheduled to take on a new BMW P86/8 engine with a new transmission, while Robert will be driving with the same engine and gear box as in Valencia. In the first two thirds of the season we didn’t have a single retirement caused by any technical fault. We aim to maintain this high level of reliability. On the sporting side, we plan to improve further and see both cars finish solidly in the points at Spa.”

Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
“Spa is one of the last natural circuits remaining in the calendar and therefore ranks among the classics. Most drivers love it, and for good reason. Eau Rouge is one of the most spectacular corners in Formula One, even though the V8 engines now allow it to be taken flat-out in dry conditions. Spa demands medium downforce, comparable to Montreal. High aerodynamic efficiency is very important as you need a lot of downforce in the fast corners of the middle sector while at the same time requiring plenty of top speed for overtaking at the end of the long straights.

“A crucial factor will be how to exploit the tyre potential. In Spa we use the two hardest compounds, which is a challenge particularly if air temperatures are low. The weather in Spa is always a big unknown as it can turn from one moment to the next, sometimes even within individual sections of the track.”

History and background:
The idea of staging a race in the health resort of Spa goes back to 1920. The circuit linked up the towns of Malmedy, Stavelot and Francorchamps. In 1921 the first car race had to be cancelled as there was just one entrant. The circuit was inaugurated by motorcycles before cars made their first appearance in 1922. 1924 saw the first 24-hour race at Spa, and the first significant Formula race followed in 1925 when the European GP was hosted by the circuit.

1970 marked the final race on what was then a 14-kilometre course as the cars had become too fast for the track. The present circuit was opened in 1979. In 2003, Formula One did not come to Spa. For the 2004 event the Bus Stop chicane was modified and, after the 2005 GP, F1 again gave Spa a miss. For 2007 a new pit lane awaited and the Bus Stop section, including the pit lane approach, was modified once more.

The biggest pile-up in F1 history occurred in 1998 in the La Source hairpin just after the start, though none of the drivers was injured. To date, 40 Belgian Grands Prix have been held in Spa. A further ten took place in Zolder and two in Nivelles.

Schedule for group interviews at the weekend:
Thursday:
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
14.00-14.20 – Marko Asmer – print media
14.20-14.30 – Marko Asmer – TV
15.00 – Nick Heidfeld – FIA press conference
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:
16.45-16.55 – 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
18.00-18.05 – Mario Theissen – TV
18.05-18.30 – 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.

F1: A lap of Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium 2008

BMW Sauber F1 Team - Belgian Grand Prix - Free Practice

Weather: cloudy, some rain in the afternoon, 15-17°C Air, 15-17°C Track


Spa-Francorchamps (BE). The Friday practice sessions for the Belgian Grand Prix were in typical Ardennes weather conditions. For the afternoon session the dark grey sky produced the first rain. Inconsistent track conditions made comparisons and proper analysis for the set-up work difficult.


Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: 11th, 1:49.139 min / 2nd Practice: 11th, 1:49.875 min
“The conditions today were variable, especially in the afternoon session. Therefore today it was not only the testing that was difficult, but also evaluating the results of our programme. At the end of the day the conditions were the same for everybody. We shall now analyse the data and prepare for Saturday. When I was doing a practice start at the end of the session the engine stalled.”


Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: 12th, 1:49.185 min / 2nd Practice: 10th, 1:49.725 min
“Generally speaking my first day of practice here was okay. The track’s level of grip was, as expected, low and this meant it wasn’t too easy to drive the car. We have made some small changes during the course of the day, but, due to the inconsistent weather conditions, it was extremely difficult to make judgements. Because of the weather we couldn’t do our usual tyre comparisons either, as we could not run the harder and softer compounds under the same conditions. This makes the analyses tricky but that’s the same for everybody.”


Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
“Because of the changing track conditions, it's very difficult to draw the right conclusions from the set-up changes we made during the two sessions today. We were not able to complete our programme as planned, and this was specially the case for the tyre comparisons. The set-up decisions for tomorrow will now be based on data analysis and simulation. According to the latest weather forecast it should be dry tomorrow morning, which would give us the chance to complete our work in the third free practice.”

BMW Sauber F1 Team - Belgian Grand Prix - Race

Weather: Overcast, rain at the end of the race. Air: 15°C, Track: 17°C

Spa-Francorchamps (BE). Due to a perfect decision in the final stages of the Belgian GP, Nick Heidfeld claimed the ninth podium of the season for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. After 42 of the 44 laps Nick changed to wet weather tyres, and moved up from seventh to third. It was his fourth podium of the season. His team-mate, Robert Kubica, had been ahead of him until he was delayed refuelling at his second pit stop. The pole had started from eighth and finished the action packed grand prix sixth. The BMW Sauber F1 Team has now scored 105 championship points. With five races to go in 2008, the team has so far four more points than in the entire 2007 season.

Nick Heidfeld: 3rd *
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:49.067 min on lap 36 (7th fastest overall)
“I had a fantastic race weekend and I am very happy today. At the start I got off better than the guys in front of me. Then I decided to go for the outside line, but unfortunately Heikki Kovalainen crashed into my car. This can happen, and I was lucky my car wasn’t damaged. Of course I lost a lot of places. Later on in the race I was able to get some back, but then I got stuck in traffic. When the drizzle set in I was convinced it would be heavier on the next lap and decided to change to wet weather tyres. The team asked me if I meant what I said. When I left the pit lane after the stop I asked on the radio how many laps to go, and my engineer said this one and another one. As I couldn’t see any cars on the track I thought, oh this was probably the wrong decision, but then it paid off. It was a Hero or Zero decision.”

Robert Kubica: 6th
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:48.965 min on lap 36 (5th fastest overall)
“I am not happy with the result, as today I had the chance to finish on the podium. We had a problem during the second pit stop. I lost two or three positions and returned to the track behind Nick. When it started raining he went into the pits to change tyres. I could not do the same as it would have cost too much time because I was directly behind Nick, so it would have meant us coming into the pits together. Also I had no information about the weather as I had problems with my radio. We gave away points today. However, that’s racing.”

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
“It was a turbulent race – both immediately after the start and during the final laps. Nick was involved in a collision in turn 1 after the turmoil at the start and, like Robert, lost some positions. As a result, both cars dropped out of the points’ positions. After that the pit crew had problems connecting the nozzle during Robert’s second pit stop. Finally we recovered from these problems. Nick, his race engineer and our strategists took the right decision two laps before the end of the race by changing to wet weather tyres. The team’s ninth podium and Robert’s sixth place scored us nine points. With five races to go the team has 105 points, four more than in the entire 2007 season.”

Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
“This was the most amazing race I have ever experienced. Up until two laps from the end everything was quite normal, but then things changed dramatically when it started raining. Nick radioed to the pits that he wanted to change tyres. He was the first driver to take this decision. The pit crew reacted quickly, and from then on he was the fastest man on the track and made up many places. He finally finished third. For Robert things, unfortunately, went wrong during the second pit stop when we had a problem when refuelling, which cost him several positions. However, overall it was a very good result for our team. We scored another podium finish and a total of nine points today.”

* Nick Heidfeld was moved to 2nd after Hamilton was awarded a 25 second penalty


Edited by kbannon