# Brazilian Grand Prix - BMW Sauber Press Releases



## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

BMW releases four press releases per Grand Prix. I'll keep this thread updated with the news direct from BMW Sauber. Only two more races and then BMW Sauber is gone  I'm disappointed they're leaving F1 before getting a chance to see what they can really do. It seems like they're right there, they just need a little more time. I guess we won't know until they come back to F1 again.

*BMW Sauber F1 Team - Brazilian Grand Prix - Preview*
16th - 18th October 2009
16th of 17 World Championship races

Munich/Hinwil - The BMW Sauber F1 Team fell short of its potential at the last two Grands Prix in Asia. The Brazilian GP on 18th October takes place on the challenging Interlagos circuit and provides the next - and penultimate - chance to score a result that will do justice to the comprehensive development work carried out on the F1.09.

The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix entered the Formula One history books as a real thriller, with the World Championship literally being decided during the final seconds of the nail-biting last race of the season. There is a good chance that Interlagos will again be the backdrop for the title decisions in 2009.

*Robert Kubica:*
"Brazil was the season finale in the past years. With Abu Dhabi new on the calendar, the situation is different this year. The Interlagos track is very nice to drive. Especially sector 1 with the first three corners is quite challenging. Turn 1 is blind and therefore it is difficult to find the ideal braking point there. The final sector goes up a huge hill and consists of a couple of left turns.

"In Brazil we drive anti-clockwise, which is physically quite tough as we are used to driving the other way round. If it rains in Interlagos, driving will be very tricky as there is lots of standing water on the track. So I'm hoping for good weather."

*Nick Heidfeld:*
"Interlagos is a fantastic and very challenging track. Because you drive it in an anti-clockwise direction, it puts a real strain on your neck muscles. The circuit used to be full of horrible bumps. Having it resurfaced before the 2007 Grand Prix made a huge difference, but by 2008 the track wasn't as good. I'll be interested to see what kind of condition it is in now.

"In the last two years we had some exciting championship deciders there, with the weather always ready to tip the scales. There could be a repeat in 2009, even though Brazil isn't the final race this time.

"I'm in two minds about São Paulo. The churrascarias are really special, and I guess the city has a great deal to offer. On the other hand you hear about all these muggings year after year, which puts you off any major excursions. I'm looking forward to seeing Felipe (Massa) in the paddock again."

*Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:*
"It's the final spurt for the 2009 Formula One season. Brazil marks another traditional circuit on the calendar, whereas in the final race at Abu Dhabi we'll all be broaching new territory. While in 2008 the BMW Sauber F1 Team was still in contention for both World Championship titles up to the penultimate race of the season, in 2009 it's a case of making the best of the situation and taking away as many points as we can. The results of the recent Grands Prix show that our development work is bearing fruit: we made it into the points in five consecutive races. Nevertheless, in Singapore and in Japan we fell short of our potential.

"Interlagos is about 800 metres above sea level. Due to the thinner air, all engines lose around eight per cent of their output. This makes the engine wear a little less as the loading on the crank assembly is slightly reduced. That will not only suit our team. Nick will keep running his ninth race engine which was fitted in Singapore, and Robert his eighth also from Singapore. Naturally we want to avoid fitting another new unit, which would mean being relegated ten places on the grid."

*Willy Rampf, Head of Engineering:*
"Interlagos is one of very few circuits that are driven anti-clockwise. The key stretch is the middle sector, where it's just one turn after another. Plenty of downforce, good traction and good balance are crucial here. With the car's set-up you also have to allow for the fact that the air is thin because of the altitude and so the engines lose output. In the final sector particularly, with its steep uphill start/finish straight, high engine output is critical.

"Since the track was resurfaced, it has been a lot less bumpy than before. That makes the mechanical set-up of the cars somewhat easier. The weather can play a decisive role in Interlagos with the likelihood of rain at this time of year being pretty high. Heavy rainfall causes rivulets of water on the track, which leads to aquaplaning. After experiencing compromised race weekends in Singapore and Japan, in Brazil we will do everything we can to fully exploit the potential of our heavily modified car and achieve a correspondingly good result."

*History and background:*
Interlagos means "between the lakes". Indeed, the once 7.96-kilometre race track used to lie in a picturesque setting outside the boundary of São Paulo. But the city has long since crept right up to the crash barriers. Formula One made its Interlagos debut in 1973, and 2009 marks the 37th Brazilian Grand Prix. In 1978 the Brazilian Grand Prix was staged for the first time at the Jacarepagua track near Rio de Janeiro, which hosted the event ten times in all. Formula One returned to Interlagos in 1990.

Paulista coffee plantations provided the foundation for economic growth in southeast Brazil, with industrialization in the late 19th century bringing wealth to the region, though it was spread unequally among the population. Today the citizens of São Paulo suffer from acute social disparities - grinding poverty and immense wealth exist side by side and levels of crime are high. São Paulo was founded in 1554 and is the capital of the Brazilian state of the same name as well as the country's financial and trading hub. Population figures can only be guessed at. Eleven million people are estimated to live in the city itself, with 20 million in the wider São Paulo area. The climate is subtropical.


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## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

Updates from practice -

*BMW Sauber F1 Team - Brazilian Grand Prix - Practice*
Weather: Occasional light rain, 18-20°C Air, 22-27°C Track

Interlagos (BR). The first two free practice sessions for the Brazilian Grand Prix were held in inconsistent weather conditions with periods of light drizzle in both sessions. For the BMW Sauber F1 Team the day went without any technical problems. Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld reported progress in terms of car balance and set-up in the afternoon, but were still not happy.

*Robert Kubica:*
BMW Sauber F1.09-08 / BMW P86/9
1st Free Practice: 14th, 1:13.563 min / 2nd Free Practice: 12th, 1:12.862 min

***8220;Today, we tried different downforce levels and completed some long runs in preparation for the race. However, it was very difficult to get reliable results because on several occasions it was drizzling, and the conditions were changing frequently during the two sessions.***8221;

*Nick Heidfeld:*
BMW Sauber F1.09-07 / BMW P86/9
1st Free Practice: 12th, 1:13.464 min / 2nd Free Practice: 15th, 1:12.948 min

***8220;We changed the car a lot after the first session when it really wasn***8217;t good at all. The changes definitely meant an improvement, but the balance isn***8217;t yet as I would like it to be. We still have some work to do. The track is better than expected, so I can***8217;t complain about any changes for the worse since last year. There are still bumps, of course, but nothing to worry about.***8221;

*Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering):*
***8220;As far as the track conditions are concerned, this was a mixed Friday for all teams. Again and again light rain falling made the set-up work difficult. We concentrated on race preparation and drove with different aerodynamic configurations. For tomorrow we will concentrate on qualifying. There is still work to do.***8221;


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## BIMMERUSAM5 (May 20, 2007)

tim330i said:


> BMW releases four press releases per Grand Prix. I'll keep this thread updated with the news direct from BMW Sauber. Only two more races and then BMW Sauber is gone  *I'm disappointed they're leaving F1 before getting a chance to see what they can really do.* It seems like they're right there, they just need a little more time. I guess we won't know until they come back to F1 again.


+1 That sucks.

Hopefully they will make a comeback soon.


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## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

********** RACE SPOILERS **********

*BMW Sauber F1 Team - Brazilian Grand Prix - Qualifying*
Weather: rain in practice and qualifying, 17°C Air, 18°C Track

Interlagos (BR). After a wet qualifying session lasting two hours and 42 minutes the Brazilian crowd cheered local hero Rubens Barrichello for his pole position. The BMW Sauber F1 Team was left rather unhappy. Both drivers ended up below expectations in qualifying. While Robert Kubica made it into Q3 and finished eighth, Nick Heidfeld was already out in Q1, mainly because the ride height proved to be too low for the amount of water on the track.

*Robert Kubica:*
BMW Sauber F1.09-08 / BMW P86/9
Qualifying 8th, 1:20.631 min in Q3 (3rd Free Practice: 19th, 1:29.895 min)

"The conditions in this qualifying were really difficult. At one point there was so much water on the track that the car was almost undriveable. Fortunately, after the break, the conditions were a little better. We are running relatively low downforce, which was obviously delicate in these conditions. To my surprise, the car was quite competitive when it was very wet, and it was somewhat more difficult to drive with less water. I had too much understeer. The car is set up for a dry track, so we have to see what the weather will be like tomorrow."

*Nick Heidfeld:*
BMW Sauber F1.09-07 / BMW P86/9
Qualifying 19th, 1:25.515 min in Q1 (3rd Free Practice: 9th, 1:24.867min)

"Of course it is very annoying to be out in Q1, but I simply had no chance. We certainly knew it would rain in qualifying and we put our ride height up, but it wasn't enough given the amount of water on the track. In a Formula One car you don't only get aquaplaning problems from the tyres, but also with the plank. That's not driving anymore, that is swimming. At the end of Q1 when I had changed to fresh tyres the conditions turned from bad to worse, which didn't help either."

*Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):*
"Just like two weeks ago in Suzuka, Qualifying in Sao Paulo was again dominated by the weather. This was especially the case for the first and second parts of Qualifying. Nick was stuck in traffic at the same time Robert set his fastest lap. After that the conditions got worse, so he finally got stuck in Q1. For Robert everything went according to plan - up to his last attempt with intermediates. In the decisive run he lost time from turn seven, so he ended up eighth. Today more would have been possible."

*Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering):*
"After qualifying in Suzuka lasted more than 90 minutes, there was another chaotic Saturday in Sao Paulo. First the third free practice was almost washed away by the water. Following this, qualifying had to be stopped several times and lasted for almost three hours. Nick was unfortunate to get stuck in Q1. Robert was one of the top contenders in Q1 and Q2, and also in Q3 things looked good until his last run. But after a good first sector on his final run he lost time and ended up eighth. Today, a position in the first two rows of the grid would have been possible."

*BMW Sauber F1 Team - Brazilian Grand Prix - Race*
Weather: dry, 25-28°C Air, 31-41°C Track

Interlagos (BR). In an electric and action packed Brazilian Grand Prix the BMW Sauber F1 Team earned its second trophy this season. Robert Kubica managed to come second in the race after starting from only eighth. Nick Heidfeld improved in his first stint from 18th to tenth, but then retired after his first pit stop because the fuel rig didn't work and let him run dry. The eight points scored in the penultimate race of the season has put the BMW Sauber F1 Team ahead of Renault in the Constructors' World Championship to seventh. The BMW Sauber F1 Team wants to congratulate Jenson Button and Brawn GP for the Championship titles.

*Robert Kubica: 2nd *
BMW Sauber F1.09-08 / BMW P86/9
Fastest lap 1: 14.155 min on lap 38 (4th fastest overall)

"The basis for today's result was laid yesterday when we decided to take a gamble and drive the wet qualifying with a low-downforce set-up. This went well in Q1, but was difficult in Q3. Although some people were disappointed with eighth place yesterday, I was quite pleased. Today we had a good and consistent pace. I was surprised at the beginning that it was quite easy to follow Rubens Barrichello and Mark Webber. But I had to reduce the engine revs after about 15 laps because the water temperature was too high, and I had to avoid the tow of the guys in front of me. After my first pit stop I was unlucky because I got stuck behind four cars. At that stage Mark was able to increase the gap. This is a great result in a difficult season, and I really hope that I will see this team on the grid next year."

*Nick Heidfeld:* DNF (retired after 21 laps with no fuel)
BMW Sauber F1.09-07 / BMW P86/9
Fastest lap 1:14.988 min on lap 19 (15th fastest overall)

"My start wasn't perfect but I saw there were very tight fights and decided it was better to stay clear of trouble. Then straight away there were crashes in turn two and at the exit of turn five. I was able to overtake a couple of cars, and among them was Romain Grosjean who didn't really play fair. I was worried I could lose my front wing then. After I had left him behind me I closed the gap to Sebastian Vettel but could not overtake him. Then I was due for my first pit stop. I wondered how quick the car was and soon I received the call to save fuel and to save more fuel, but it was too late. I ran dry in turn 8. At least it is good that the team has something to be happy about today."

*Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):*
"First of all congratulations to Jenson Button and Brawn GP for having won both the Drivers' and the Constructors' World Championships. But today we also have some reason to be happy. Robert put in a strong performance without the slightest mistake. He was the only one on track who could keep up with the speed of the front runner over the entire race distance. His second place is a well deserved reward for the intensive work and the efforts of the last weeks. For the entire team it is important to achieve a top result at the end of that difficult season. I want to thank every single team member for that. Unfortunately the fuel rig didn't work at Nick's pit stop. Up to then he also drove a strong race. Our second podium finish this season saw us move up one position in the Constructors' Championship. We want to keep that momentum for the final race in Abu Dhabi."

*Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering):*
"That was a first class performance from Robert. He was consistently fast and without any mistakes. A great compliment and thank you to him and the entire team. We really earned this second place on the podium in our penultimate race. The risk to set the car up for dry race conditions during the wet qualifying session on Saturday paid off. Unfortunately Nick had a problem with the fuel rig, which did not work and was responsible for his early exit. Congratulations to Jenson Button and BrawnGP for winning two World Championships."


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