BMW Sauber F1 Team - 2008 season review.

Mission accomplished. Munich /Hinwil, 6th November 2008. In a Formula
One season full of surprises, the BMW Sauber F1 Team was a model of
consistency. As if setting out to reinforce the popular stereotypes of
German thoroughness and Swiss precision, the young team swept through
2008 without a single technical retirement and notched up by far the
most race laps and fastest pit stops of any team. The BMW Sauber F1.08
racers were not only reliable, they also proved their mettle in
performance terms. The highlights of the season were the one-two finish
in Canada when Robert Kubica took the chequered flag ahead of team-mate
Nick Heidfeld a year after crashing heavily at the Montreal track,
Kubica’s pole position in Bahrain and two fastest race laps courtesy of
Heidfeld (Malaysia and Germany). Together, the BMW Sauber F1 Team
drivers collected eleven podium trophies in what was the team’s third
season on the grid – up from two in 2007. Here, BMW Motorsport
Director Mario Theissen, Technical Director Willy Rampf, Robert Kubica
and Nick Heidfeld look back on 2008. Mario Theissen gave a positive
verdict on the season: “We are proud of our successful season and we
have once again achieved our exacting goals. We set out to turn the
two-horse race at the top of the standings into a three-way battle and
to record our first victory. We reached this target much earlier than
expected and even managed to do so with a one-two finish.” After the
first three races of the season, the team was leading the World
Championship, while Robert Kubica’s win in Canada put him top of the
drivers’ standings. Should the season have worked out rather better in
the end? Theissen: “It wasn’t a question of what should have happened,
but what we wanted to be the case. These magnificent achievements so
early in the season naturally whetted the appetite for more. Although
it didn’t take us long to reach our goals, there was no let-up from
anybody in the team. We continued to bring new and further stages of
technical developments into the car in the second half of the season,
but unfortunately they didn’t produce the performance gains we
expected. Our pace of development was fine, but the results were not up
to scratch and our rivals opened up a gap over us during the course of
the season. We will learn from this for 2009, when we will be looking
to be up there battling for the title.” Were you happy with the
performances of your drivers in 2008? Theissen: “All in all, yes –
otherwise neither would be driving for us in 2009. However, Robert and
Nick had very contrasting years. Robert shook off the memory of 2007,
was hugely motivated for the job in hand and threw himself into his
work with his new race engineer. Robert was in top form and if the F1.08
was not quick enough he took it as a personal affront. The working
relationship was therefore not always easy, but his unreserved
determination to achieve success commands respect. For Nick the
season was very different. It took too long for the seriousness of the
situation to be recognised and the causes of his problems above all in
qualifying to be systematically addressed. When you’ve got so many years
of experience, you can maybe tell yourself after one or two
unsuccessful outings that these were just blips and everything will be
alright again the next time around, but that was not the case. It was
only with intensive work that we got to grips with the problem. What
stood out about both Robert and Nick was their extremely low error
count on the track. In this respect, nobody else on the grid comes
close to our two drivers – and for that I take my hat off to them.”
What are your expectations for 2009? Theissen: “Formula One is set to
experience the most significant rule changes in its history.
Wide-reaching controls on aerodynamics systems will see the cars
looking totally different in 2009, treadless tyres (slicks) will be
brought back and the totally new KERS technology introduced. This may
bring about shifts in the balance of power. This extremely challenging
scenario does not alter our goal of fighting for the World Championship
title in 2009.” Willy Rampf gives his assessment of the BMW Sauber
F1.08: “This car was something very special. It was not purely a
further development; we opted for a very aggressive approach for the
F1.08. This was very important given the goals for the season we had
set ourselves, but clearly not without risk. Indeed, at the roll-out
the car was still far from its full potential. What followed was a very
tough, but also incredibly productive time for us – and by the start of
the season we had the car very much on track. In Melbourne Robert was
only a hair’s breadth away from taking pole position.” What was your
reaction to the one-two finish in Canada? Rampf: “You just can’t put it
into words. When no other car and no other drivers are better than your
two, you have reached your goal. And that applies not only to me, but
to the whole team. You mustn’t forget that many of the people in the
team gave everything over a number of years for the independent Sauber
team – without any prospect of getting right to the top on their own
merits – and have been part of the BMW Sauber F1 Team from its launch.
The one-two in Montreal had a big impact on us all, and not only on the
Sunday – it had a sustained effect.” Was it not possible to build on
this success and step up another gear over the remainder of the season?
Rampf: “Of course, this success raised expectations both within the team
and from the outside. We developed several new parts which produced
good results in the wind tunnel. When it came to their performance on
the track, however, they did not deliver what they promised. Added to
which, the optimum set-up window of the F1.08 was very small. It was
not easy to adjust the individual parameters to stay within this window
all the time. This was a learning experience, which we will utilise
again for the 2009 season.” As for 2009: how will technical
responsibility be apportioned? Rampf: “I have responsibility for the
F1.09 concept and, as Technical Coordinator, will also be at the helm
for the team’s race activities in 2009. The development process and
construction of the new car is overseen by Managing Director Walter
Riedl, who will continue to head up operations at the Hinwil plant and
project management across both locations in 2009. It was important for
me to cut down on my workload – this was a personal decision following a
long time working flat-out.” Robert Kubica, how would you assess your
second full season in F1? Kubica: “The 2008 season was very long and
extremely hard – probably the toughest of my career. Unfortunately, we
didn’t manage to sustain our pace of development through the second
half of the season. But we have made a big leap forward over 2007. We
had no technical retirements and were in there fighting for the title
almost until the end of the season. The team have done a wonderful job
and we can be proud of our season, I don’t like to give myself too much
praise, but I think I drove really well. I was almost always fast and
able to show my potential. However, I’m a person who always wants to win
and for me second place is the first loser.” What were the highs and
lows of 2008? Kubica: “I can think of various great moments, especially
over the first half of the season – my podium in Malaysia, pole
position in Bahrain and, of course, my first race victory in Canada.
I’m also very proud of my performance at Fuji. That was probably my
strongest race of the year. The most frustrating weekend, on the other
hand, was the first of the season in Melbourne: I’d had a very
disappointing season in 2007 and my race was going really well until
Kazuki Nakajima ran into me.” Nick Heidfeld, how would you sum up the
2008 season? Heidfeld: “So-so, with an upwards curve towards the end of
the season. It is always my aim to get the maximum from the car and I
didn’t manage to do that through the middle part of the season – in
qualifying in particular. The positive thing is that I came through
this difficult period by analysing the situation, rather than
stubbornly ploughing on. Highlights included the race at Spa – when my
decision to change onto wet-weather tyres two laps from the finish paid
off – and five passing manoeuvres over the course of the season in
which I overtook two cars in the same move. And, of course, four second
places aren’t bad going either.” How do you expect the reintroduction
of slick tyres will affect the racing in 2009? Will they help you to
exploit the full potential of the tyres in qualifying? Heidfeld:
“We’ll find out in due course if slicks suit my driving style
specifically, but I believe they will do and I definitely think it’s
important that we get them back in Formula One! Slicks are simply part
of F1, both for the sport as a spectacle and as far as driveability is
concerned. Anything else is just a joke. In combination with the
significant reduction in the cars’ downforce levels, slicks will
hopefully also result in more overtaking.” The 2008 season in brief.
The innovative looks of the F1.08 made quite an impression at its
presentation in the new BMW Welt in Munich on 14th January. The
subsequent testing in Valencia was disappointing, but the team pulled
out all the stops to turn things around before the opening race of the
season in Melbourne. Their calm but intensive work resulted in second
place for Heidfeld, while Kubica – lying fifth – was the innocent
victim of a collision at the restart after a Safety Car phase and left
Australia with no points to show for his efforts. In Malaysia it was
Kubica’s turn to take second place, while Heidfeld finished sixth.
Their total of 11 points represented a record haul for the young team.
To add the icing on the cake, Heidfeld also recorded the team’s first
fastest race lap. Next up was Bahrain: another race, another
milestone. Kubica earned the BMW Sauber F1 Team its first pole
position, before finishing third in the race to give him back-to-back
podiums. Heidfeld crossed the line in fourth. The team topped the
constructors’ standings as the F1 circus moved on to Europe. Bahrain
offered the first signs that Heidfeld was having difficulties bringing
his tyres up to temperature in qualifying. The start of the European
season saw Ferrari in dominant mood. Kubica finished fourth at
Barcelona, while Heidfeld fell foul of Safety Car rules. The German was
forced to pit for fuel while the pit lane was closed, landing him with
the inevitable ten-second stop-and-go penalty and meaning he could do
no better than ninth. After a modest performance in qualifying at
Istanbul, the BMW Sauber F1 Team salvaged fourth and fifth places in
the race, allowing them to defend their second place in the
Constructors’ World Championship behind Ferrari. Kubica finished
second in a damp race in Monaco to earn a spot in the famous royal box.
Heidfeld had qualified a lowly 12th as his tyre problems persisted. In
the race itself the German had battled up to fifth position when
Renault’s Fernando Alonso (Spain) drove into the side of him. Heidfeld
nursed his battered F1.08 across the line in 14th, a dispiriting four
laps behind the winner. Round seven of the season yielded unbridled
celebration for the team. Kubica and Heidfeld raced to a one-two
finish, earning the BMW Sauber F1 Team its maiden race victory in only
its third season on the grid. Kubica’s win allowed him to take over the
lead in the Drivers’ World Championship and the team leapt back into
second place in the constructors’ standings, just three points adrift
of Ferrari. Qualifying for the French GP did not go well for the team,
but Kubica at least pulled in four points for his fifth-place finish in
the race. The hop across the English Channel brought an improved
showing at the British Grand Prix, although this time the Pole was left
empty-handed after a rare mistake saw him aquaplane off the track.
Heidfeld celebrated an impressive second place at a sodden Silverstone.
In the team’s home race at Hockenheim, Heidfeld recovered from further
qualifying strife and a grid position of 12th to set his second fastest
race lap on the way to a fourth-position finish. While Heidfeld
benefited from his race strategy and a Safety Car phase, Kubica came
off rather worse and finished in his starting position of seventh. The
final race before the short summer break was a chastening experience for
the team. The F1.08 was clearly short of speed in Hungary and a single
point for Kubica was all it could muster. Second place in the
Constructors’ Championship was lost to McLaren Mercedes, and Kubica and
Heidfeld were now fourth and fifth in the drivers’ standings. The
first F1 race on the portside circuit in Valencia was one of mixed
fortunes for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. Kubica secured the team its eighth
podium finish in 12 races with third place in the Grand Prix of Europe,
but his team-mate could manage only ninth. Heidfeld struggled with the
harder tyre compound and admitted his race had been a disaster. All
of which made Heidfeld even happier with his podium finish at Spa, the
key to which was his brave decision to change onto wet-weather tyres
two laps from the finish. Kubica’s chances of a top-three finish were
scuppered by a sticking fuel tank nozzle. It was a rare mishap for the
BMW Sauber F1 Team, which topped the fastest pit stop statistics.
Kubica went on to finish sixth. The final race of the European
season at Monza was also hit by rain. Kubica missed the cut for the top
ten qualifying shoot-out at GP number 14, but a strong race performance
on a one-stop strategy and a perfectly timed switch from wet-weather
tyres to intermediates took him onto the third step of the podium.
Heidfeld secured fifth place after starting from 10th. The BMW Sauber
F1 Team went away from Formula One’s magnificent debut night race in
Singapore with just three points (Heidfeld/6th position). Starting from
fourth on the grid, Kubica was a victim of the Safety Car rules and
crossed the line 11th. The BMW Sauber F1 Team remained third in the
Constructors’ World Championship, with McLaren now leading the way –
albeit only briefly. Kubica took centre stage at Fuji as the chief
protagonists in the World Championship race shunted each other down the
field. After 17 laps in the lead the Pole was forced to settle for
second place behind Alonso, but had put himself back in contention for
the driver’s title. Heidfeld finished a nondescript ninth after an
errant tyre strategy in qualifying. Ferrari climbed back to the top of
the constructors’ standings. Heidfeld was slightly faster than Kubica
over the whole weekend in Shanghai, and the two drivers finished the
penultimate race of the season in fifth and sixth positions
respectively. The result put an end to both Kubica and the team’ s
outside chances of World Championship glory. The drivers’ crown had come
down to a straight fight between Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes) and
Felipe Massa (Ferrari). The season finale in Brazilian was as tense
and exciting as they come, although the BMW Sauber F1 Team now had
little more than a minor role in proceedings. Hamilton clinched the
title on the last lap of 2008 and Ferrari wrapped up the Constructors’
Championship. Kubica had struggled with the balance of his F1.08 in
qualifying and could do no better than 13th. Given his modest grid
position, the team took the risk of starting him on dry tyres on what
was a drying track. However, on the formation lap the Pole decided to
change onto intermediates after all. The trip to the pits relegated him
to the back of the field and ultimately cost him third place in the
Drivers’ Championship. Kubica finished level on points with 2007 World
Champion Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) but had to settle for
fourth. Heidfeld started the race from eighth, but excessive wheel spin
meant he lost ground off the line and he crossed the line 10th ahead of
Kubica. Drawing a blank at Interlagos also cost the German driver a
place in the final table – he slipped down to sixth, one point behind
Alonso. The BMW Sauber F1 Team remained third in the constructors’
standings. +++ For statistics and results please see the attached
document +++