PressClub Global · Article.
BMW Sauber F1 Team - San Marino GP - Qualifying
Sat Apr 22 12:00:00 CEST 2006 Press Release
It was a disapppointing qualifying session for the BMW Sauber F1 Team, as neither Jacques Villeneuve nor Nick Heidfeld made it into the top ten on the grid for the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola.
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Joerg Kottmeier
BMW Group
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Author.
Joerg Kottmeier
BMW Group
Weather: Sunny, dry, 26°C Air, 37°C Track
Imola (ITA). It was a disapppointing qualifying session for the BMW Sauber F1
Team, as neither Jacques Villeneuve nor Nick Heidfeld made it into the top ten
on the grid for the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola.
Jacques Villeneuve:
BMW Sauber F1.06-02 / BMW P86
Qualifying: 12th, 1:23.887s (3rd Practice: 8 th, 1:24.916s)
I am very disappointed because less than two tenths of a second was P5 and I
know there was that time in the car. The second lap was quick, but the yellow
flags caught us out. That really does your race and finishing P5 or P12 in the
session means the difference between finishing on the podium or not. It is a
little bit rough but we are at the wrong end of the tenths today big time.
Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.06-03 / BMW P86
Qualifying: 17th, 1:24.129s (3rd Practice: 15 th , 1:25.701s)
I really wanted to make it into the top ten and tried everything I knew, but
lost the rear of the car and went into the tyres, which unfortunately has
damaged the car quite badly. All in all qualifying was disappointing,
especially as I felt good after the results of the three free practice sessions
yesterday and today. With new tyres I just could not get the necessary grip,
but the positive side is I fell well again yesterday after my stomach problems
yesterday.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
It was a very exciting qualifying session with very close gaps between the
drivers' times, but unfortunately we had to watch the breathtaking final 20
minutes as spectators. Jacques missed the top ten by just over a tenth of a
second, whereas Nick never managed to get the lap time we expected. He
complained about lack of grip and on his last lap tried too hard and lost
control of the car. The times are closer than we have seen before, as between
fifth and Jacques' 12th position there is only seventeen hundredths of a second.
Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis):
Obviously we expected more from qualifying. We knew it would have been very
hard to make the top ten in this close competition. Now we have to adjust our
race strategy accordingly, but we are confident we can repeat the performance
we found in our long runs on Friday.
Footage is available at www.thenewsmarket.com
Current images available at www.press.bmwgroup.com
PR: Jörg Kottmeier +49 170 5666 112, Heike Hientzsch +49 172 6209904, Ann
Bradshaw +44 7713 317006