Munich, 14th November 2005. Born in June, christened in November: the newly
formed BMW Sauber F1 Team has been registered under that name with the FIA
ahead of the 15th November deadline for entries for the 2006 season.
As BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen explains: "The new team name more or
less chose itself. It reflects the makeup of the team - run by BMW but with a
core of almost 300 Sauber employees. Plus, the 2006 car was developed by
Sauber's proven engineers."
Sauber's Technical Director, the German Willy Rampf, will continue in his post
at the Hinwil location. Heinz Paschen, meanwhile, remains Technical Director in
Munich, where not just the engine but now the entire powertrain will be built.
Walter Riedl will be responsible for coordination between the two locations in
his capacity as Project Manager.
Peter Sauber is looking forward to his advisory role and welcomes the latest
decisions: "It's nice to see that the Sauber name will continue in Formula One.
I'm particularly pleased for Sauber's many loyal fans, who I'm sure will
support the team with unbowed enthusiasm in the future. The new team's name is
also an expression of the huge respect which BMW has for the employees in
Hinwil."
Following the christening, it won't be long before the team takes its first
steps. The BMW Sauber F1 Team will be officially presented on 16th and 17th
January 2006 in Valencia, Spain, where the new car will embark on its first
round of testing without further ado.
First, though, the team will start winter testing with an interim car and the
new BMW P86 V8 engine. The testing programme begins on 28th November in
Barcelona, Spain.
Press contact:
Jörg Kottmeier, BMW Motorsport Communications, joerg.kottmeier@bmw.de
Phone +49 (0) 89 - 382 27563, +49 (0) 170 5666 112
