BMW Sauber F1 Team 2006 press kit

Contents. 1. Team. 2 Fresh start. 2 Warm up. 5 Who's who. 8 Pit stop in Munich. 9 Pit stop in Hinwil. 11 2. Season. 12 Grand prix information. 12 Looking ahead. 15 Regulations. 24 3. Technology. 26 Chassis. 26 Engine. 34 Stats and facts. 45 4. Drivers. 48 Nick Heidfeld. 48 Jacques Villeneuve. 57 5. Management. 66 Mario Theissen. 66 Heinz Paschen. 69 Willy Rampf. 71 6. History. 73 BMW Motorsport. 73 Sauber. 94 7. Press service. 100 Contacts. 100 Services. 102

Fresh start.

From zero up to race speed in 262 days.
Munich. It was set in concrete as the day dawned on 22nd June 2005:
BMW would for the first time be running its own team in the FIA Formula One
World Championship, starting the very next season - 2006. On the afternoon of
that same day in June, the Board of Management's decision was announced to the
public at large. It was the starting signal for the race before the race: with
just 262 days to go, the combined pulling power of a 600-strong team had to get
things moving from standstill up to race speed.
On 12th March 2006 in Bahrain, the BMW Sauber F1 Team will launch its first
season with the BMW Sauber F1.06, driven by Nick Heidfeld and Jacques
Villeneuve.

As Professor Burkhard Göschel, BMW Board Member for Development and Purchasing,
points out: "This project represents a strong, long-term commitment to Formula
One on BMW's part. For the BMW Group, Formula One acts as a high-tech
laboratory and technology accelerator.

This synergistic effect has already had a very positive impact in our six years
as an engine partner. But you can't win races with an engine alone, which is
why we wanted to be involved in all the success factors. In keeping with that,
we have now taken on overall responsibility. Formula One seems tailor-made for
BMW's brand values, and there's no other sporting event that generates so much
attention on such a regular basis worldwide. In 2006 we will primarily
be building up experience. In 2005 Sauber came eighth in the Constructors'
World Championship. That is our starting point, and I can see plenty of upside
potential."

"To set up a new team is a huge challenge", says Professor Mario Theissen, who
as BMW Motorsport Director oversees all of BMW's racing involvements. "Our
concept includes boosting staff numbers, expanding the facility in Hinwil, an
intensive development programme and the networking of all activities in Munich
and Hinwil. The division of labour is as follows: Munich is in charge of the
powertrain and electronics, Hinwil is responsible for the chassis and race
deployment. We will be recruiting more than 100 new staff in Switzerland.
The key priorities will be to convert the wind tunnel from single to
three-shift operation as well as setting up an autonomous test team. The Hinwil
wind tunnel is outstandingly good. Overall, the factory is good but not yet big
enough. The extension plans, which include new offices as well as development
and production facilities, have been drawn up and we expect planning permission
to come through in spring of 2006. All measures will be fully implemented by
the end of 2007. The 2006 season will be a year of development. That also
applies to the technical package, whose concept was already largely established
in Munich and Hinwil before the
takeover. In 2006 we aim to grow together and maximise our potential."

After 13 years as a team principal in Formula One, Peter Sauber has stepped
back from the operational side of the business. Now 62, he will act as advisor
to the new team. "I was delighted that Sauber is to remain part of the team
name. I shall be keeping a close eye on the progress of the BMW Sauber F1 Team.
I'm especially pleased for the staff in Hinwil, who will now have the
opportunity to demonstrate their skills with the support of their colleagues
from BMW."

Two adoptive Swiss in the cockpit.
They've long known each other, they've both raced for Sauber before,
they both live in Switzerland - but they've never before been team-mates.
Drivers Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve can look back on a combined tally
of 250 grands prix.
Heidfeld (28) made his Formula One debut at the start of the 2000 season and
competed for the Swiss racing team from 2001 to 2003. His best results so far
are the two second places he claimed for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team in the 2005
season. He also took a pole position in the same year. The man from
Mönchengladbach, whose daughter - and first child - was born in July 2005, has
98 race starts under his belt.

"I'm really looking forward to the new season and the new team, many of whom I
already know from years past", says Heidfeld. "Besides, I can get to Hinwil in
15 minutes by car, which is a real advantage. It's natural for a racing driver
to be impatient when it comes to achieving success, but we need to be
realistic. For me the most important thing is that we're moving in the right
direction. We have to work hard and make steady progress."
No other driver in Formula One has risen to World Champion status as rapidly as
Jacques Villeneuve. In 1996, his debut year, the Canadian already finished as
runner-up behind his then Williams-Renault team-mate Damon Hill.

Then in 1997 he beat Michael Schumacher to the title for Williams-Renault. In
152 grands prix he has taken eleven victories and claimed pole 13 times. After
five years with the BAR team, it seemed his F1 career was over in 2003. But
then he was given the chance to compete in the final three races of season 2004
for Renault. In 2005, the son of the famous Ferrari driver Gilles Villeneuve
was signed up by Sauber.

"Building up a new team is a very complex task", says Villeneuve looking ahead
to 2006. "I've already been through it in the past. But I think we've got a
number of good prerequisites coming together here. I'll be doing my very best
to help the BMW Sauber F1 Team achieve success."

New regulations.
The most radical technical changes for 2006 affect the engines:
Formula One is switching from three-litre V10 engines to V8 units with
2.4 litres' displacement. The rules governing the new engines are far more
tightly regulated and the scope for engineers has shrunk. The switch to the
more compact V8 powerplants also brings with it noticeable modifications to the
chassis. Among other changes, the cars will feature pared-down sidepods as the
radiators can now be designed smaller
than before. Racing fans can again look forward to the spectacle of tyre
changing in the pits, which has the go-ahead again as of 2006. The qualifying
format is also new: for the 2006 World Championship, grid positions will be
determined in a shootout. From 14.00 to 15.00 hrs on Saturday, the fast laps
will be driven in three time sections, with the slowest drivers in the first
two 15-minute periods taking no further part in qualifying, leaving the
remaining drivers to compete for the best starting positions in the final
session.