BMW Sauber

[Ed]

James Key:”We set ourselves fairly aggressive goals.“

Hinwil, 3 May 2010 – Technical Director James Key talks about his first month in Hinwil.

Question: What are your first impressions of the team?
James Key: “The first impressions are very good. We have an excellent group of people here, and the expertise and the knowledge are at a very high level. And, of course, the facilities are state-of-the-art. There is enormous potential. Everything is here that needs to be here to ensure the team can move forward. On the other hand there is also much work to be done. The team is still recovering from its uncertain situation in the second half of 2009. It requires a slightly new approach to the way certain areas work to make better use of the size the team is now.

Question: Where was your main focus in the first month with the team? Key: ”My main focus in the first week was to get around and meet as many people as I could in the technical group to understand where they felt they were, how they operate their departments and how they fit in with other areas. I’m a strong believer that, particularly in a small team, you have to be able to read into how the operation ticks and how it works and fits together. I asked them questions about where they see things heading at present, and what they think their department’s strengths and weaknesses are. All that allowed me to piece together a picture of the team.
“The second part was to focus on where we are with the current car. The race weekend in China really helped, because I was able to see the car running and talk to the drivers and people at the track in more detail. From all of that I am forming a plan of the way we go forward, which fundamentally is attacking our known weaknesses and investigating areas we don’t understand so well yet. The good news is the team is well aware already of some of the deficits that the car has compared to where it should be. I’ve been able to reinforce that and introduce a few other directions and ideas as well.”

Question: What will you change in the short term?
Key: “In the short term there is going to be a small restructuring within the technical group, which I have just started instigating. This should allow the team to be more in tune with the smaller organisation it is now, particularly in terms of the efficiency of its operation. In addition to that, we have a plan being developed of what exactly we are going to do this year to attack the known issues we have, and to give ourselves a chance to realise some decent steps later in the season.”

Question: What are your plans in the longer term?
Key: ”There are many things to do in the longer term. One is to adapt the shape of the company according to our budget and goals for the future, as well as possible regulation changes. Part of the restructuring I will be doing will be designed so we have a better capability within the current size of our technical organisation to soak up longer term changes to regulations. This will also allow us to start work on next year’s car much earlier than perhaps would be the case in the past. So, for example, I expect to sit down and start the 2012 car design process before this year has finished.”

Question: Is it realistic to move up the grid in the course of the 2010 season?
Key: ”I believe it is, because we now know what we need to do with the current car. However, for some issues there are no quick fixes. Some current characteristics of the car need to be developed to produce new characteristics, which takes time. So we will work as quickly as possible to turn that around. Targets have been set and they are very ambitious. It’s certainly possible to move up the grid, but the competition is fierce so we have to do everything we can to develop quicker than they do.”

Question: When will you start working on the 2011 car?
Key: “Work on the 2011 car has started already. Different layouts are being evaluated, and we have a long list of ideas and things we want to look at. The team has already done quite a bit of background work in various areas to start looking at the implications of the regulation changes we know about for 2011. In addition, we have ideas where we should improve from this year’s car. That process is already underway. I have a schedule in mind of how we need to split the balance between the development of this year’s and next year’s car, which fits the structure of the team. I think we should gain momentum over the next few weeks. However, much is still subject to any further regulation changes and the tyre situation, which we have to keep an eye on. “We have got a fairly aggressive set of goals for its development to make sure that we meet deadlines, and also have the possibility to investigate as much as we can on the fundamentals of the car at this early stage.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Preview – Spanish Grand Prix
5th of 19 Championship Rounds, 7th – 9th May 2010

Hinwil, 30th April 2010 – After the equipment and, last of all, the team members returned home from Shanghai on Friday, 23rd April, the team rolled up its sleeves and prepared for the start of the European season. The venue for the Spanish Grand Prix, the Circuit de Catalunya, is well known as a demanding track where most of the teams, including the crew from Switzerland, will bring an aero update. Pedro de la Rosa is looking forward to his home race and, along with his team mate Kamui Kobayashi, desperately wants to finish it.

Pedro de la Rosa: “I grew up in the city centre of Barcelona, and I certainly love my home town. You have everything there – a lively city, the sea, the mountains and a permanently good climate. I’m very much looking forward to this race! My parents always had a summer house close to where the circuit is. From 1991 onwards I loved to listen to the fabulous sound of the Formula One engines from there when teams where testing. Also in 1991 I raced in Formula Renault in the first event at the Circuit de Catalunya. My first Formula One Grand Prix there was in 1999. The circuit has become the best test track for Formula One. It is a very demanding circuit – tough on the cars, the engines and the drivers. It is a track I really, really like. Turn three is very fast and very long – it is a true neck killer. There is a great variety of corners – high and medium speed, and a couple of slow ones in the last sector. We had a good winter test there and I have the feeling our car suits Barcelona better than some of the more recent tracks. For the Spanish Grand Prix we will also have a new aero package in place. I’m sure at the end of the race we will either be close to or in the points.”

Kamui Kobayashi: “I know the Circuit de Catalunya pretty well. I won a GP2 race there, raced there in Formula 3 and did some Formula One testing there. Even my first ever F1 test was in Barcelona. In those days the last two corners were different to now, as it was a very fast double right hander. The circuit is very demanding on the cars and challenging for us drivers. The car-and-driver combination has to be very good, as it is difficult but crucial to get the set-up right. The fast right hander before the back straight is my favourite corner and quite challenging. I like Spain and the Spanish Grand Prix. The weather is usually very nice and there is a large crowd. I’m happy for Pedro that it is his home race and all his fans will be there. We have been testing there over the winter. We have an update to the car and I believe our reliability problems are solved. I should have a good chance to finally go racing after I have only done 19 laps in total in all four races.”

Technical Director James Key: “We have some updates for Barcelona, as most of the teams will have. We are trying to push our F-Duct design a step further. This is obviously a technology that will eventually appear all the way down the grid during the year, but our team has some experience of it from the first events. Additionally we have a package of updates on the car, which are particularly on the front end and the diffuser. It’s a decent package, which will hopefully allow us to find some more performance. Obviously a lot depends on how tough the competition is. Some of the steps address the issues the team has identified in terms of the aero characteristics, so it should make the car a little bit better purely through changing the way it behaves. “With regard to the circuit itself, it’s obviously a place everybody knows extremely well. It’s an excellent reference circuit with a real mix of low and high speed corners, which require downforce as well as a good mechanical grip. It’s a very technical circuit where it’s never been easy to get the best out of the car. It will be interesting going back there after the cars have developed since winter testing, and to see how much they have changed. An important question will be how well we can get the tyres to last because it is a very hard circuit on tyres; and, of course, the difference in temperature between winter and now is also an interesting aspect. “I’m looking forward to the event. It’s obviously Pedro’s home race, which is great for him and, as a team, we will try to have a good weekend and put the difficult start to the season behind us.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Sauber: “I’d do the same thing again.”

Hinwil, 29 April, 2010 – Team Principal Peter Sauber takes stock after the four overseas races.

Question: The first four races of 2010 haven’t brought your team the results expected. What’s your verdict on the season so far?
Peter Sauber: “Of course, we’re all disappointed that we haven’t collected any points with four races gone. After all, our aim was to be fighting for World Championship points on a regular basis.”

Question: What are the reasons for the way things have turned out so far?
PS: “It’s been a combination of factors. We’ve suffered too many reliability issues on both the chassis side and with our engines. That’s very unusual; we’ve always been one of the best teams in this respect over the years.”

Question: How can you solve these problems?
PS: “We’ve closely analysed all the chassis-related problems and already put measures into effect. Our engine partner Ferrari is doing the same.”

Question: But you must have been expecting more from the performance of the C29?
PS: “There’s no doubt that we were all expecting more after winter testing. The fact is that we’re lagging behind our direct rivals. James Key, our new Technical Director, has already carried out some initial analysis and set out a series of measures we need to take. But he’s an engineer not a miracle worker, and the measures will need a certain time to take effect. Our competitors will not be standing still either, so we have to take two steps forward at a time if we’re going to make up lost ground. James is currently engaged with setting out our medium and long-term development path.”

Question: But there must be more deep-seated reasons why progress is so slow?
PS: “Yes, that’s probably true. When I sold the team to BMW in 2006 I made a clear decision to take a step back. It was important for me to have a certain distance from things. Now I’m discovering that there’s quite a lot to do. This process of analysis is underway and we will see the results in the near future.”

Question: Can we expect to see the first step forwards as early as Barcelona?
PS: “We will have a development package of aero modifications on the car in Barcelona. I can’t say whether that will take us further up the grid, as all the teams will have improvements on their cars in Barcelona. Ultimately it will be a question of who has made the bigger step forward. What I can say is that we have to work very hard and purposefully, and we have to remain realistic.”

Question: James Key has been working as part of the team since earlier this month. What is your impression of him?
PS: “James has clear ideas of how we can improve. Although he’s still very young he has a lot of experience, and – very importantly – he brings fresh blood into the team. The technical progress he made at Force India speaks for itself. I’m very pleased that we were able to secure his services.”

Question: There is still a lot of white on the car. When can we expect to see the arrival of new sponsors?
PS: “When I bought the team at the end of November we didn’t have any sponsors or a place on the grid; I went into the project with open eyes. The car was all white. However, I couldn’t have predicted that the C29 would be so far off the pace. Of course it was fanciful to think we could still recruit major sponsors for 2010 at the start of the year. Having said that, we are financially secure for this season. Our search for new sponsors primarily concerns 2011, although of course that doesn’t mean we aren’t already trying to bring new sponsors on board this year.”

Question: Would you make the same decision again, knowing how difficult it would be?
PS: “At the end of November I had two choices: either take over the team or see Hinwil close its doors. The latter was not an option for me. It was always clear that it wouldn’t be easy. But I’d do the same thing again!”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Chinese GP – Race – Sunday, 18.04.2010
Weather: Mostly light rain, 19-21°C air, 18-22°C track

In China both the BMW Sauber F1 Team’s cars retired. Kamui Kobayashi was out of the race on lap one when he was an innocent victim of someone else’s accident. Pedro de la Rosa had managed to climb up to fourth in difficult track conditions when he stopped with a technical failure on lap eight. The cause of this failure still needs to be analysed.

Pedro de la Rosa: DNF on lap 8 (position 4) C29.04 / Ferrari 056
“Of course I am deeply disappointed. We made all the right tyre decisions. I started on slicks and managed to stay out in the drizzle. I enjoyed overtaking and then I was in fourth. When you are in a situation like this you really have to finish. We missed a great chance today. I don’t know what exactly happened. I felt there was something wrong with the engine and then stopped in turn nine.”

Kamui Kobayashi: DNF on lap 1 C29.01 / Ferrari 056
“It is such a shame. The track conditions were difficult today and this always opens up chances, even if you are not high up on the grid. I’m sure we would have scored points today. My start was good, but after a few corners Vitantonio Liuzzi’s car just flew into mine and I was out.”

James Key, Technical Director: “Obviously it was a very exciting race today for watching, but frustrating for us. Kamui was unfortunately the victim of an accident that was happening behind him, and was caught out by a car coming across the track. It was not his fault. Pedro was driving an excellent race, he made a great call on the tyres and the team went with that decision. He stayed on the dry option tyres while others changed to wets, which was a very good call by the driver and the team. He ended up fourth - looked fairly strong, was battling with Vitaly Petrov and the lap times were good. Sadly there was a problem with the car. It is engine related but we can’t say whether it’s a specific engine problem or a problem related to the chassis. We still need to analyse that when the car comes back. It was a points’ opportunity today, but unfortunately it didn’t happen.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Chinese GP – Qualifying – Saturday, 17.04.2010
Weather: Sunny and dry , 17-20°C air, 28-31°C track

BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro de la Rosa qualified 15th and 17th respectively for the Chinese Grand Prix where there is a chance of a wet race tomorrow.

Kamui Kobayashi: C29.01 / Ferrari 056
Qualifying: 15th / 1.36.422 min (in Q2) / 3rd Practice: 10th / 1:36.634 min (16 laps)
“Personally I’m happy with the lap I put in. I had no traffic, did the best I could and think I achieved what was possible. We do have areas where we need to improve and we will improve. Overall we don’t have enough grip yet, braking stability is not perfect and my car tends to understeer. I’m very much looking forward to tomorrow’s race and I’m really hungry for a grand prix finish again. The weather prediction says there is a good chance of rain. This would make for an exciting race. I generally like driving in the wet although visibility is always a problem.”

Pedro de la Rosa:
C29.04 / Ferrari 056
Qualifying: 17th / 1.37.020 min (in Q2) / 3rd Practice: 17th / 1:37.664 min (19 laps)
“My first attempt on the soft tyres in Q2 wasn’t good from my side, but the last lap was very good until I made a mistake before turn 14. I locked the rear and it cost me almost half a second. Finishing two places higher up would have been realistic, but not a lot more. The car felt well balanced, so there is nothing to complain about. We did not use our new rear wing system in qualifying because we want to continue testing it.”

James Key, Technical Director: “It was a tough and very close qualifying. Both drivers pushed as hard as they could. We knew we had to get a good lap out of the new tyres. It was also essential to get it all together in the traffic, which we managed to do. At the end there were probably a few more tenths possible. Unfortunately Pedro was putting in a very good lap and just missed out in the hairpin with a little bit of wheel locking, and Kamui maybe had a couple of tenths more to exploit as well. There was potential there to move up a few places, but we are still not in a position to get to Q3. It’s very close, and let’s see what the weather brings tomorrow. We are mid-grid and anything can happen.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Chinese GP – 1st / 2nd Free Practice – Friday, 16.04.2010
Weather: sunny and dry, 13-17°C Air, 18-29°C Track

The two 90 minute free practice sessions for the Chinese Grand Prix went smoothly for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro de la Rosa completed their programme as planned in chilly Shanghai.

Pedro de la Rosa:
C29.04 / Ferrari 056
1st Practice: 13th / 1:38.421 min (19 laps) / 2nd Practice: 13 / 1:37.421 min (32 laps)
“We treated the day very much as a test day. We tried different set-up options and in the end the car was a bit better. At the end of the second session we compared the option and the prime tyres. The lap time with the softer compound, the option, actually wasn’t good enough compared to the harder prime compound. We have to look into that now. All in all it was a trouble free and productive first day.”

Kamui Kobayashi:
C29.01 / Ferrari 056
1st Practice: 12th / 1:38.375 min (21 laps) / 2nd Practice: 14 / 1:37.431 min (33 laps)
“The track improved a lot during the day. It was very dusty in the morning and then the usual conditions came back. We had no problems or any issues, and the programme was fine. The balance of the car is okay, but still we have to find a better pace. It is a nice and challenging track and I expect us to see some good overtaking on Sunday in the race.”

James Key, Technical Director: “It was good to see the team operating for the first time with the cars and drivers on the track. I think fundamentally we made some progress today. We tried a couple of small new directions on the car, some of which gave us data for the future, some of which we are using now. So I think we found some time today with the changes we made. We’ve got a little bit of work left with the rear wing for the remainder of the weekend. And also some work to do with the tyres in order to fully understand how to get the most out of them, because clearly the warm up was difficult today for both tyres. We will work through the data tonight and see what we need to do for tomorrow.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Preview – Chinese Grand Prix
4th of 19 Championship Rounds, 16th – 18th April 2010

Hinwil, 9th April 2010 – With the Chinese Grand Prix taking place on 18th April in Shanghai, the team is preparing for its next trip to Asia. It will be the first race with new Technical Director James Key on board.

Pedro de la Rosa: “The Shanghai Circuit is one I really like and enjoy. The last time I raced there was in 2006 and I finished fifth. It is a good track with a very long straight and nice overtaking opportunities. Overall the circuit has a great variety of corners, including hard braking for a hairpin and other corners which flow nicely. We are working hard on improving the performance of our car. There are 16 races to go, so the season isn’t over by any means. Looking at the reliability I’m quite relaxed. What happened in Malaysia was extremely unlucky and will not happen again.”

Kamui Kobayashi: “I’m very excited to be racing in Shanghai for the first time in Formula One. I had a good weekend there with GP2 Asia in October 2008. I was second on the grid, set the fastest race lap and just missed winning after a safety car period. The circuit is very nice and the grandstand is really impressive. Actually I like the hard braking before the hairpin after the long straight. I feel it will be difficult for us in Shanghai, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I generally like racing in Asia, and with Japan not being that far away I usually see more fellow countrymen there than in Europe. Shanghai as a city is an exciting place too, but unfortunately we don’t get to see much of it as the track is pretty far away from its centre.”

Technical Director James Key: “I’m looking forward to the first race with the team. I arrived in Hinwil after the Easter weekend and met a lot of people. I got a very good impression of what’s going on. There is obviously work to be done, but the spirit within the team and the motivation are very high. What is now beginning to emerge is the direction we need to go in. Everyone is pushing very hard, and we are making plans at the moment on the direction we should go in the future to keep developing. I haven’t been to the track this year, so it’s going to be interesting to see how things are run, learn a bit about the tyres and talk to the drivers. It will be the first time I see the C29, so it will be good to have a close look at it along with Willy Rampf and go through it in detail.
“As far as the circuit is concerned, it’s a fairly similar downforce level to what we have experienced on the past three circuits. It’s another purpose built track with some interesting features. There’s a very long straight, therefore downforce is a compromise. It’s a fairly high grip track, which might mean taking a little bit of wing off. Braking stability and traction are very important, and you have those two snail like corners which are tricky for the drivers. We have to see how the cars and the tyres deal with it. We hope for the best and will try to get some points.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Malaysian GP – Race – Sunday, 04.04.2010

Weather: dry, overcast, 31-32°C air, 38-44°C track

After a promising qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix neither driver could take advantage of this in the race, as both retired due to a technical failure. Pedro de la Rosa stopped when on his way to the grid, Kamui Kobayashi had to park the car on lap nine. Both cars had engine failures because of a problem in the pneumatic system.

Kamui Kobayashi: DNF (on lap 9, position 11) C29.01 / Ferrari 056
“The retirement came as a total surprise to me. After turn one I suddenly had no more power. This is really bad luck. Today I was in a good position to fight for points, although I lost two positions at the start when Rubens Barrichello didn’t move in front of me when the starting lights went out. It is a real shame I retired from today’s race, but now we have to concentrate on the next one in China and do better.”

Pedro de la Rosa: Did not start C29.03 / Ferrari 056 “Of course it is very disappointing not having competed in this race. This Grand Prix is one you prepare for all year because of the physical demands and you really want it to be driving in it. The failure was unusual, unexpected and unlucky.”

Willy Rampf, Technical Director: “A very disappointing race after promising starting positions. Pedro was forced to stop on his lap to the grid, and Kamui, who started from ninth, had to give up on lap nine. In both cases the engines failed due to problems with the pneumatic system. We have to analyse everything in order to understand the reason behind it.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Malaysian GP – Qualifying – Saturday, 03.04.2010

Weather: Dry in practice, rain during qualifying, 26-32°C air, 23-47°C track

Under difficult conditions the team got the timing and the tyre strategy right and achieved its best qualifying result so far this year. Kamui Kobayashi qualified ninth for the Malaysian Grand Prix. This is the first top ten grid position of his F1 career to date, and the first one for the team this year. Pedro de la Rosa, who shone with the second fastest lap in Q1, just missed making it into Q3 when he got stuck in traffic. He qualified 12th.

Kamui Kobayashi: C29.01 / Ferrari 056
Qualifying: 9th / 1.51.767 min (in Q3) / 3rd Practice: 18th / 1:36.404 min (19 laps)
“I am very happy to have made it into Q3 for the first time. Last year in Brazil, also in wet conditions, I was close but then I spun on my last lap in Q2. I learnt this lesson. In dry conditions our performance seemed to be rather difficult, therefore I am even happier with my position. It is not easy to drive in the wet because of aquaplaning, which obviously will get worse if it rains tomorrow because of the heavy cars for the race start. But I am determined to score points tomorrow.”

Pedro de la Rosa: C29.03 / Ferrari 056
Qualifying: 12th / 1.48.771 min (in Q2) / 3rd Practice: 17th / 1:35.477 min (18 laps)
“It was a quite difficult qualifying because of the changeable conditions. You never knew how much water to expect when braking into a corner. The car was pretty good in the wet, and I could have made it into the top ten if I just had a single clear lap. But even on my fastest lap I had to overtake two cars in the last sector. However, certainly we can look forward to a very exciting race tomorrow!”

Peter Sauber, Team Principal: “It’s nice to have one car in 12th and the other one in the top ten. The engineers and drivers did a good job today. This result is motivating for the whole team. We are looking forward to a thrilling race.”

Willy Rampf, Technical Director: “After free practice three we made some changes to the cars. We decided not to run the new rear wing system on Kamui’s car. Due to the constantly changing weather conditions it was an exciting qualifying in which we made the best decisions with regard to strategy and timing. The team was rewarded with a solid result. Kamui’s performance was strong and he managed to make it into the top ten.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Malaysian GP – 1st/2nd Free Practice – Friday, 02.04.2010

Weather: Sunny and dry, 27-32°C air, 30-50°C track

It was a trouble free start to the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend for Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro de la Rosa. Besides the usual set-up work and race preparation, the team found time to test the new rear wing system again in both free practice sessions.

Kamui Kobayashi: C29.01 / Ferrari 056
1st Practice: 12th / 1:36.503 min (28 laps) / 2nd Practice: 11th / 1:36.018 min (38 laps)
“The car seems to be better than last week in Melbourne, but obviously we need to keep working hard to find a better pace. For me it is good that I know the track here so well, that makes it easy. While driving the heat isn’t an issue, but if you sit in the car in the garage waiting for the next outing you almost get grilled. In the afternoon session the asphalt was really, really hot when it reached 50 degrees, and this certainly is hard on the tyres. But perhaps it is a useful experience as the qualifying and the race are also in the afternoon.”

Pedro de la Rosa: C29.03 / Ferrari 056
1st Practice: 16th / 1:36.899 min (24 laps) / 2nd Practice: 13th / 1:36.325 min (33 laps)
“It was a really positive Friday as we were able to do a lot of testing and tried different things including our new rear wing system. Balance wise, I am happier with the car now than I was in Australia and I enjoy the high speed corners of the Sepang circuit quite a lot. However, we need to find some more pace.”

Willy Rampf, Technical Director: “We used both sessions to test different configurations of our new rear wing. We will analyse the data here at the track and in the factory in Hinwil to decide on the next steps. In preparation for the race we did long runs with the option tyres to get an understanding of their behaviour when we have a heavy car and a very high track temperature. Overall it was a productive day without any technical problems. We were able to complete our planned programme.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Preview – Malaysian Grand Prix
3rd of 19 Championship Rounds, 2nd – 4th April 2010

After a spectacular race in Australia the third round of the FIA Formula One World Championship is just a few days away. The teams continue their journey to Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysian Grand Prix on April 4.

Pedro de la Rosa: “The Sepang circuit is one of my favourite tracks. It has a lot of rhythm with many flowing corners which reminds me a little bit of the Circuit de Catalunya. The track in Malaysia is physically extremely demanding, especially because of the humidity and the heat. I like driving there a lot! It is important to be fit for there. For a driver it is by far the toughest race on the championship calendar and it is also very demanding on the car. I think if you are quick there you are quick everywhere, and, as I said before, it is a bit like Barcelona and both are very representative of what we find at other circuits. This means it is a good test bench for the drivers and the cars.”

Kamui Kobayashi: “I have good memories of Sepang as I won a GP2 Asia race there in 2008. It is a pretty nice track - I like it. The heat is tough, but that’s the same for everybody. I don’t mind the heat, but I hope we don’t get the same weather as during last year’s Grand Prix when the race had to be stopped because of the heavy rain. Malaysia is not too far from Japan and, hopefully, I will meet some Japanese fans there. The last corner before the main straight is my favourite. You have to brake very hard and get the corner right to accelerate down the straight. It has a lot of influence on the lap time, because if you don’t get this one right you really pay for it.”

Technical Director Willy Rampf: “Sepang is a very demanding circuit which asks a lot from the chassis and the set-up. It has corners with very quick changes of direction in which stability is crucial. At the same time you need good traction to accelerate out of the slow corners, which in some cases lead uphill. The right hander before the back straight is especially tricky with its tightening radius.
“We expect ambient temperatures of around 35 degrees Celsius and accordingly track temperatures over 40 degrees. Therefore you have to take care of the cooling, and this is something you also have to take into account for the set-up to avoid excessive tyre wear. The weather is rather unpredictable with the chance of rain in the late afternoon high, which certainly would make for an exciting race.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Australian GP – Race – Sunday, 28.03.2010

Weather: Drizzle after the start, dry later, 25-26°C air, 22-23°C track

Following Kamui Kobayashi’s retirement after a crash on lap one, it looked good for Pedro de la Rosa to score the team’s first points. But in the end his tyres degraded too much and he had nothing left for defending.

Pedro de la Rosa: 12th place
C29.03 / Ferrari 056
“For a while the race went okay, I managed to stay out of trouble and there was a good chance to get our first points. But, I’m afraid, we underestimated the tyre degradation. In the end I really had no rear tyres left. For the last 15 laps it was just a question of how to keep the car on the track. I was absolutely helpless when Michael and Jaime came in the end to overtake me“

Kamui Kobayashi: accident on lap 1
C29.02 / Ferrari 056
"It looks as if I touched a kerb or another car in turn three. Everything was very close and I don’t really remember anything major, but on the data it looks like there was something. I had no worries about the front wing, but a few corners later it went off and got stuck under the car. At first I had no idea what had happened. I had no control anymore.”

Peter Sauber, Team Principal:
“Looking at how the race evolved, it’s a disappointing result. For a third of the race Pedro was able to defend ninth against Rubens Barrichello, but then he lost out, and in the penultimate lap he was also passed by Michael Schumacher and Jaime Alguersuari. Kamui’s race didn’t even last one lap. Following contact with another car his front wing broke, and he went off, unfortunately hitting other competitors.”

Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
“It was a race start under difficult conditions. Kamui most probably had contact with another car and damaged his front wing. As a result the front wing broke in the braking zone of corner 6, and Kamui went off. Pedro won positions after the start, and we made the change from intermediates to slicks at the right moment. Our strategy was to finish the race with this set of tyres, which - looking at the overall result - was the right decision. However, the tyres degraded too much, and the lap times were not consistent enough, therefore we lost our chance to finish the race in ninth.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Australian GP – Qualifying – Saturday, 27.03.2010

Weather: Overcast but dry, 21-22°C air, 23-26°C track

Despite identical grid positions as in the first race in Bahrain there is some progress to report. Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi qualified 14th and 16th respectively for the Australian Grand Prix but the C29’s set-up has improved and both drivers are optimistic to go and fight for points in tomorrow’s race.

Pedro de la Rosa:
C29.03 / Ferrari 056
Qualifying: 14th / 1.25.747 min (in Q2) / 3rd Practice: 18th / 1:26.818 min (18 laps)
“We are still a step away from Q3 but we were closer than in Bahrain. We will keep working hard and further improve the car for the future, and tomorrow we will go and fight for points. This is what I really want – finishing a good race and score. I was pushing hard in qualifying and basically I’m happy with my fastest lap. In the traffic it was very difficult to get in a clear lap, especially in Q1 we obviously had many cars and on different speeds. I tried my best to stay out of everybody’s way but it doesn’t always work although I’m very well informed from the pit lane about which car is close to me.“

Kamui Kobayashi:
C29.02 / Ferrari 056
Qualifying: 16th / 1.25.777 min (in Q2) / 3rd Practice: 14th / 1:26.275 min (21 laps)
“I expected to finish qualifying a bit higher up because the speed in the third free practice was encouraging. I pushed very hard and nearly lost the car, but we didn’t make it into Q3. Nevertheless we definitely improved compared to Bahrain. Although the positions are the same the gap is smaller. I’m quite confident for the race.”

Peter Sauber, Team Principal:
“P14 and P16 in qualifying don’t meet our expectations, therefore we cannot be satisfied. I think that today we didn’t really exploit the full potential of the car.”

Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
“It was a qualifying without any particular problems, but our grid positions are quite disappointing. We are not fast enough for Q3, but nevertheless we expected to be further up the grid. There is a pack of cars in the midfield where the gaps are very close, and where you can win or lose positions with just a small time difference. On the positive side, the balance of the car was definitely better here than in Bahrain, but we have to further improve the overall performance.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Australian GP – 1st/2nd Free Practice – Friday, 26.03.2010

Weather: Mid-day sunny and dry, later rain, 26-26°C air, 21-37°C track

Because of mixed weather conditions with some rain in the second free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix it is difficult to estimate everybody’s performance. However, Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi had a trouble free second session and were 12th and 13th. The first 90-minutes session at lunchtime hadn’t been as pleasant. After only a few laps Kobayashi had ripped off half of the front wing when hitting a cone and needed to come in for repairs. On his next run the new front wing came off. Kobayashi only did five laps. Ten minutes before the end of the session De la Rosa also stopped on the track due to a clutch problem.

Pedro de la Rosa: C29.03 / Ferrari 056
1st Practice: 15th / 1:29.465 min (13 laps) / 2nd Practice: 12th / 1:27.108 min (25 laps)
“Generally the car feels better than in Bahrain, which is good news. Of course more running would have helped to improve the set-up, but I can’t complain as I had some dry running.”

Kamui Kobayashi: C29.02 / Ferrari 056
1st Practice: 18th / 1:31.588 min (5 laps) / 2nd Practice: 13th / 1:27,455 min (23 laps)
“In the first session I came too close to that cone and hit it, and then I could not do any more running after I lost the new front wing. Of course I would have liked to do more laps, but the rain in the second session did not help. However, I still got a good feeling for the track. We will now concentrate and work on improving the car, the main problem is an overall lack of grip.”

Willy Rampf, Technical Director: “In the first practice we lost time on Kamui’s car due to a broken front wing mounting. This resulted from damage earlier to the wing. Pedro was hindered by a clutch control problem in the first free practice and also lost some time. In FP1 we tested a new rear wing. However, there was not enough time to collect sufficient data, therefore we decided to go back to the previous version and concentrate on working on the set-up of the car. Due to the mixed weather conditions in the second session we were not able to complete our programme. However, I think we found a baseline for tomorrow.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Preview - Australian Grand Prix
2nd of 19 Championship Rounds, 26th – 28th March 2010

The very unproductive opening race in Bahrain, with set-up troubles followed by failures in the race, has been analysed. At the Australian Grand Prix, held from 26th to 28th March in Melbourne, the BMW Sauber F1 Team wants to perform the way everybody expected after testing – with scoring points achievable.

Pedro de la Rosa: “I’m very much looking forward to this Grand Prix. I really want our performance in Bahrain to be forgotten. Also it is one of my favourite Grands Prix because of the great atmosphere there. My last race there was in 2002. In 2005 I drove in Friday practice. This means I definitely have some memories of the track, but it will be like learning a new one for me. I believe we will be more competitive in Melbourne. Reliability was never an issue in testing, and it was very unlucky that we retired with both cars in Bahrain and with two different reasons as well. Albert Park is a difficult track with many chicanes, stop and go corners and bumps. As it is not a permanent race track it changes significantly over the weekend. This makes it important to read the track properly in order to deal with the grip level. It will not be easy for us in Australia and we need to work hard to be able to fight for points.”

Kamui Kobayashi: “For sure I hope we will be more competitive in Melbourne than we were in Bahrain - we just have to be. I only know the track from the Toyota simulator which I have been in after the race in Bahrain. I like the lay-out of the Albert Park Circuit, and I also like Melbourne as a place. I have been there twice as a reserve driver. The city is great and the spectators are true fans, so I can’t wait to race in front of that crowd. To me a four week trip begins now and I’m really excited about that. From Melbourne we go to Kuala Lumpur and before the race in Shanghai I go and spend some time in Japan.”

Technical Director Willy Rampf: “After our disappointing performance in Bahrain we have to make up for a lot in Australia. We have analysed the data and drawn conclusions accordingly. I expect us to be significantly more competitive in Melbourne. The failures were caused by hydraulic leaks in both cases, but for different reasons. For both problems we will have solutions ready for the race.
“The Albert Park Circuit is a stop-and-go track, being very demanding on the brakes and requiring high brake stability as well. At the same time good traction is a must. You drive with maximum downforce. Especially at the beginning of the weekend, the grip level is very low and then improves continuously. You have to make sure this development doesn’t confuse your set-up work and so you have to keep working in the right direction. I’m curious about how the tyres will be working. Last year the softer of the two compounds was degrading badly after just a few laps. This time Bridgestone is providing us with a harder compound, which naturally has an impact on the set-up.”
_________________
Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors