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    Posted: 27-April-2009 at 22:35

BMW Sauber F1 Team - Bahrain Grand Prix - Preview

24th – 26th April 2009
4th of 17 World Championship races


Preview.

Munich/Hinwil, 19th April 2009. The caravan moves swiftly on: this weekend sees the fourth race in the FIA Formula One World Championship, held in the desert kingdom of Bahrain. It was here in 2008 that Robert Kubica gained the first pole position for the BMW Sauber F1 Team.

Robert Kubica:
“I am looking forward to going to Bahrain. Overall I really like the track, although it is not really challenging. The Bahrain International Circuit has a couple of long straights and three characteristically low-speed corners that require heavy braking. Wind can play an important role in Sakhir as it influences the balance of the car. Also, the wind blows sand onto parts of the track, which leads to changing grip conditions. Luckily we had the chance to test the F1.09 car in Bahrain in February, although weather conditions were unstable and windy then. Last year we performed quite well in Bahrain – after securing pole position in qualifying I managed to finish the race on the podium.”

Nick Heidfeld:
“I enjoy driving in Bahrain. I like the modern complex and the circuit. The section from the fifth to the penultimate corner is particularly well designed. This time I’ll be again arriving quite early to allow time for my fitness training. It will be interesting to see what the weather brings. Usually the climate in Bahrain has been very pleasant, but we’ve also had incredible heat, and during winter testing there was a huge sandstorm. In 2008 there was a concert by Akon after the race, which I also remember well.”

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
“In Bahrain we aim to bring the first major overseas stint to a positive end. It also marks the end of the second set of back-to-back races within five weeks. We look back on the previous Bahrain Grand Prix with satisfaction: in 2008 Robert gained his first ever pole position with the BMW Sauber F1 Team, achieving another milestone. After our appearance in Shanghai we are now heading for another region that is important to BMW. For us as a manufacturer in the premium sector the Middle East is also a very significant market.”

Willy Rampf, Head of Engineering:
“The Bahrain circuit demands a compromise when it comes to aerodynamic set-up. On the one hand the many slow corners require a high level of downforce, while on the other the exceptional breadth of the track encourages the drivers to overtake, which means we can’t leave maximum speed out of the equation. With the low-speed corners, traction and brake balance play a major role. Brake wear on this circuit is particularly high, especially in the turn after the start-finish straight and in turn 4. At night the wind regularly sweeps sand onto the track. Generally conditions improve as the day goes on, but tyre wear can nevertheless be fairly high on account of the sand. That is an important factor for the race strategy.”

History and background:

2009 marks Formula One’s sixth appearance in Bahrain. The modern circuit is located south of the capital Manama and belongs to the municipality of Sakhir.

Since gaining independence from Britain in 1971, the Kingdom of Bahrain has been an independent Arab Emirate. The country covers a total of 665 square kilometres spread across 33 islands off the coast of Saudi Arabia. The capital Manama is on the main island (578 square kilometres).

Bahrain has been an oil supplier since 1932 but resources are now dwindling. The processing industry, along with rich natural gas fields and international banking, have gained in economic significance.
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BMW Sauber F1 Team - Bahrain Grand Prix - Practice

24.04.2009

Weather: sunny and dry, 33-38°C Air, 44-55°C Track


Sakhir (BH). After the wet and cold Chinese Grand Prix the Formula 1 teams were practicing in dry desert heat with air temperatures up to 38 degree Celsius at the Bahrain International Circuit. Because its track lay-out favours the use of the kinetic energy recovery system both BMW Sauber F1.09 are fitted with it. Nick Heidfeld was second and last in the two 90 minute practice sessions on Friday, while Robert Kubica came third in the morning and 17th in the afternoon.


Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.09-04 / BMW P86/9 (KERS)
1st Free Practice: 2nd, 1:33.907 min / 2nd Free Practice: 20th, 1:34.790 min
“Obviously we looked better in the morning session than we did in the afternoon. The difference in the balance with the softer Option tyres compared to the harder Prime tyres is quite big here, which makes it really difficult to set-up the car. I also had a lack of brake stability and the track didn’t have much grip, but this is rather normal on a Friday in Bahrain. We will now look into all the data and see what we will do tomorrow.”


Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.09-05 / BMW P86/9 (KERS)
1st Free Practice: 3rd, 1:33.938 min / 2nd Free Practice: 17th, 1:34.605 min
“It was a usual Friday for us. We compared the tyre compounds and worked on the car balance. Additionally we worked on the KERS set-up, which is challenging as the temperatures here are quite high. We will now analyse the data and try to improve for tomorrow.”


Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering):
”We completed our Friday programme without any problems. As usual we concentrated on race preparation, the tyre comparisons and adapting to the KERS. The data will now we analysed. Last year the field was covered by 4.3 seconds, today it was only 1.4 seconds! So we can assume it will be a very close qualifying tomorrow.”
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BMW Sauber F1 Team - Bahrain Grand Prix - Qualifying

25.04.2009

Weather: dry and sunny, 36-38°C Air, 45-51°C Track


Sakhir (BH). Neither BMW Sauber F1 Team driver was satisfied with qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Robert Kubica was 13th while his team mate, Nick Heidfeld, finished 14th. Besides a general lack of the car’s performance, both were struggling with an inconsistent car balance.


Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.09-05 / BMW P86/9 (KERS)
Qualifying 13th, 1:33.487 min in Q2 (3rd Free Practice: 7th, 1:33.195 min)
“We already knew before qualifying it would be difficult today. We lack overall performance. In qualifying 2 I struggled with the grip of the new option tyres. Additionally, our radio didn’t work today so, as a result, it was quite hard to fine-tune tyre pressures and stuff like that. On top of that, we also had two small fires during refuelling in the pits. Although this didn’t influence the performance, it didn’t help. However, we now have to go on working in a concentrated and calm way.”


Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.09-04 / BMW P86/9 (KERS)
Qualifying 14th, 1:33.562 min in Q2 (3rd Free Practice: 10th, 1:33.415 min)
“This was quite a difficult qualifying for us. A lack of pace is obvious and, as we are waiting for our aerodynamic update for Barcelona, it is clear we lose lap time in comparison to competitors who already have new parts. At least we knew this before qualifying. Also today the car’s balance between the runs was very inconsistent. On my second run in Q2 I was quicker than on my first of that session, but not as quick as in Q1. I was really fighting hard and missed the apex in turn nine. It seems unlikely we can collect points tomorrow, but certainly we will not give up and will try everything.”


Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
“Qualifying was as difficult as expected after seeing the close gaps in free practice. One point five seconds between first and last means every weakness will result in a loss of a few grid positions. In the decisive second run in Q2 both our drivers complained about the car’s inconsistent balance and because of that were not able to fight for the top ten.”


Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering):
“Of course we cannot be satisfied with our starting positions. After an acceptable Q1, in Q2 we were – in comparison to most of the others – not able to improve on our times from the first part of qualifying. This was the case, although the track conditions had improved. The reason for this has to be analysed. From these positions it will be very difficult to score in tomorrow’s race.”
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BMW Sauber F1 Team - Bahrain Grand Prix - Race

26.04.2009

Weather: sunny and dry, 35-36°C Air, 47-50°C Track

The Chinese Grand Prix was bad, and the Bahrain GP even worse. Thanks to starting from rather hopeless grid positions, the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers found themselves at the back of the pack after being involved in first corner incidents. Robert Kubica finished 18th and Nick Heidfeld 19th. The team now awaits the update of the F1.09 for the Spanish Grand Prix.


Robert Kubica: 18th
BMW Sauber F1.09-05 / BMW P86/9 (KERS)
Fastest lap: 1:35.706 min in lap 50 (13th fastest overall)
“My race was destroyed after corner one. I was between Nick and another car, we touched each other and I destroyed my front wing. Then after the crash there was a miscommunication with the pit crew. I asked to come in straight away, but was only able to pit after the second lap. Then the race was very difficult, as for a long time I was in a heavy car on prime tyres. We were really nowhere with our pace. I hope we make a big step forward in Barcelona.”


Nick Heidfeld: 19th
BMW Sauber F1.09-04 / BMW P86/9 (KERS)
Fastest lap: 1:35.924 min in lap 52 (16th fastest overall)
“The result is a disaster, although we were unlucky with the collision in the first corner. At first I thought the suspension was broken, but I only had to have a new nose fitted in the pits and then continued. The first half of the race with the harder tyres was difficult, but the softer compound made it a little bit easier. However, it is another race to forget and we all hope for improvements in Barcelona.”


Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
“We knew it would be another difficult race weekend for us, and it was also clear the danger of a collision would be higher the further down the grid we were. As we feared, both our drivers had early collisions and as a result the race was practically over. During the pit stops we gave them a lot of fuel and sent them out with hard tyres, because the only chance of getting back into the race would have been during a safety-car period. But even if this had happened scoring a point would have been impossible. We are now concentrating on the next race in Barcelona, where we will compete with a new aero package.”


Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering):
“Our starting positions were not good at all. And then our race was practically over just after the start. After the collisions and the necessary repairs neither driver had a chance to really get back into the race. Now we have to look forward. In Barcelona we will have an improved car.”
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kbannon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27-April-2009 at 22:43

Team on Tour. Preview Bahrain.

Exclusive previews, fascinating feature stories and exciting reviews: "Team on Tour" takes you closer to Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld in 2009. Sakhir is the stage for the fourth race of the season.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kbannon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27-April-2009 at 22:44

Team on Tour. Review Bahrain

Exclusive previews, fascinating feature stories and exciting reviews: "Team on Tour" takes you closer to Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld in 2009. Here’s how the fourth Grand Prix of the season went in Bahrain.


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