PR: BMW Sauber F1 Team - Italian GP

BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM - ITALIAN GP - PREVIEW
08/09/2008

12th – 14th September 2008
14th of 18 World Championship races

Munich/Hinwil, 8th September 2008. The FIA Formula One World Championship’s European season is heading flat out onto the home straight. On the agenda for the next weekend of 12th to 14th September is the high-speed track in Monza’s Royal Park. Nowhere else do the F1 cars reach speeds in excess of 350 km/h. That is thanks to a special aerodynamic package with minimal drag and correspondingly low downforce. Engine power is also high on the wish list for the Italian Grand Prix, and both man and material are subjected to extreme loads during braking. To prepare for the event, the teams put in three days of testing in Monza at the end of August. For the BMW Sauber F1 Team, Nick Heidfeld took on testing duties for two days and Robert Kubica for one.

At last year’s Italian GP the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers finished fourth (Heidfeld) and fifth (Kubica). Kubica clocked the highest speed of all at 351.7 km/h. In 2006, the maiden year for both team and driver, the Pole was third in only his third grand prix to claim his first podium.

Nick Heidfeld:
“High speed will be the number-one issue in Monza. Currently there’s no other Formula One track where we break the 350 km/h mark. Another extreme factor is how hard we ride the kerbs in the chicanes. Speed and tradition are the hallmarks of this circuit. In other respects it is unfortunately a bit dated. The Italian fans always ensure there’s a special atmosphere at this Grand Prix.

“What is crucial in terms of performance is a good aerodynamic package that doesn’t generate much drag. Nowhere else does the car carry as little wing, and our team normally does a pretty good job of providing us with this special aero package. Testing in Monza was encouraging, and I’m looking forward to the Italian Grand Prix.”

Robert Kubica:
“Monza is one of the most challenging tracks for the cars, as on the calendar it is where we drive with the lowest downforce level and the highest top speeds. The key factors in Monza are low drag, in order to reach the highest speeds possible without losing too much downforce, and good braking stability. The track is unique because of some very long straights where we easily reach more than 300 kilometres per hour. There are some really famous corners such as Parabolica, Ascari or Lesmo, and they are faster than the first chicanes. But you have to approach them braking heavily.

“For me personally, Monza is very special as I achieved my first podium there in 2006 in only my third Formula One race. To mark this special point in my career I will again have a slightly different helmet design in Monza. As I grew up as a driver in Italy, I know a lot of people there and quite a lot of Italian fans will be cheering for me. I also expect plenty of Polish fans to be there. I am really looking forward to the weekend.”

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
“Monza is the classic engine circuit. Since the switchover to V8 engines, the full-throttle percentage per lap has risen to 70 percent. In 2007, Robert recorded the highest top speed of all the drivers in the Royal Park when he hit 351.7 km/h. While Nick will be racing in Italy with the same engine as in Spa, Robert’s car is scheduled to be fitted with a new unit.

“So far Monza has been a rewarding venue for our team. In 2006, Robert had his first podium in what was only his third grand prix, and last year Nick and Robert took a nine-point haul to secure our second-best result of the season. For this year’s Italian Grand Prix too, we have set our sights just as high.

“The 2008 race in Italy again marks the close of the European season, which has been very successful for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. So far in 2008 we have earned a total of nine podium places and celebrated a one-two in Montreal. It means we’ve achieved our season’s target and established ourselves as one of the top three teams.”

Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
“I’m very much looking forward to the race in Monza as it is a special event every time. Monza is pure tradition and the only high-speed track left on the calendar. Because of the four long straights, you have to develop a special low-downforce aero package which enables high speeds on account of its low drag, and is only used in this one race.

“The challenge for the drivers and engineers is to find a mechanical set-up that guarantees good braking stability and allows for aggressive driving over the kerbs. That is absolutely essential to achieve good lap times. We were totally satisfied with our test in Monza, and we’ll be heading for Italy in optimistic mood.”

History and background:
The history of the race track goes back to 1922, since when it has undergone repeated modifications with the aim of reducing its speed. 1935 saw the first chicanes set up, and in 1950 two banked curves were built, which have since crumbled. At one stage the circuit was ten kilometres long, and in this configuration hosted its last F1 event in 1961. That was the race in which Count Berghe von Trips had a fatal accident, which also killed 15 spectators. The Monza track has claimed lives on several occasions, but not for the last 30 years. That is due not only to the track modifications, but to a large degree to the high safety levels of the F1 vehicles.

Since the official launch of Formula One in 1950, this circuit inside a high-walled park has hosted more GPs than any other venue. 2008 will see the 58th F1 race to be staged here. Just one other Italian Grand Prix was held at another track, namely at Imola in 1980.

The town of Monza in Lombardy is just over half an hour’s drive from Milan. Monza has a population of over 120,000 and since 11th June 2004 has been the official capital of the newly created province of Monza and Brianza.

Heavy braking such as for the first chicane is a feature of Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, and punishes brakes and tyres to the absolute maximum. In 2007 Nick Heidfeld finished fourth here, with team-mate Robert Kubica coming fifth. See Monza from the cockpit, just as Nick and Robert experience the circuit.

BMW Sauber F1 Team - Italian GP - Race

Weather: Rain at the beginning, slowly drying track. Air: 14°C, Track: 15°C

Monza (IT). Coming from 11th on the grid, Robert Kubica scored the tenth podium of the season for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. It was the sixth podium in 2008 for the Pole, who finished the exciting Italian Grand Prix third. Nick Heidfeld started from tenth and finished fifth in the wet race at the high speed Monza circuit.

Robert Kubica: 3rd
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:30.298 min on lap 52 (12th fastest overall)
“I’m very happy to finish on the podium today! Yesterday qualifying was difficult when I was the first one not to make it into the top ten. The only advantage of this was I could choose my race strategy, and we decided to go for just one stop with a very long first stint. At the start the visibility was really bad. When the Safety Car went in after two laps, I overtook Nick before the first chicane without even seeing him. It was really dangerous. Then I was able to drive at my own pace, but towards the end of my first stint I was having problems with the tyres, obviously because the car had been very heavy. We were then lucky with our pit stop, because it was just the right time to change to intermediate tyres. From then on I was easily able to control my position on the track. Third place was a well deserved reward for the whole team. Congratulations to Sebastian and the Toro Rosso Team for winning here today!”

Nick Heidfeld: 5th
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:29.807 min on lap 53 (6th fastest overall)
“Coming from tenth on the grid it is okay to finish fifth, but still my race wasn’t ideal. Unfortunately I lost a place to Robert right at the start. It was the right decision to let us start behind the Safety Car. When it pulled off the visibility was still so poor that I braked much too early and Robert passed me. This time it was the team who made the tyre choice. I left it to my race engineer as on the pit wall they had a lot more information about the weather. It was absolutely right to go for intermediates. Today it was important to avoid mistakes and keep the car on the track. I’m happy I had the pace to keep Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton behind me at the end. Warmest congratulations to Sebastian and the Toro Rosso team, this was a fantastic victory.”

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
“As expected, it was an action packed race, but not for the man in front. Under these difficult circumstances Toro Rosso had the best car, and Sebastian Vettel managed to score his and the team’s maiden victory with this excellent performance. Hats off to them! For us as well it worked out perfectly today. The decisive part was the race strategy. We were able to pit late with both cars and changed to intermediates during our single pit stop. It was perfect timing, so both drivers were able to move up a lot of positions. Neither Robert nor Nick made a single mistake. Robert claimed the tenth podium finish for our team, Nick came in a strong sixth, and the team leaves Europe with another ten points in its pocket – Monza again was a good place for the BMW Sauber F1 Team.”

Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
“It was a very exciting race with a lot of overtaking manoeuvres and a great result for us. At the end of the European season we added another ten points to our tally. The good result is clearly due to the drivers who did a great job. Nick was one of the first drivers to change to intermediates, and Robert managed to climb on the podium under these difficult conditions. If you start the race from tenth and 11th on the grid and come home with ten points it is a great achievement. There were no technical problems. Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Toro Rosso, who both did an excellent job today.”