BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM - GP MALAYSIA - SUMMARY

Malaysian Grand Prix
Sepang, 19 March 2006
2nd of 18 World Championship rounds
Summary

Strong showing yields first points, but only one of the team's cars finishes.

Sepang (Malaysia). Jacques Villeneuve got the BMW Sauber F1 Team off the mark
in the Formula One World Championship by taking two points from the Malaysian
Grand Prix at Sepang. The Canadian finished seventh in the home race of premium
partner Petronas on Sunday, while Villeneuve's team-mate Nick Heidfeld retired
from fifth place with engine failure with just seven laps to go.

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and Spanish world champion Fernando Alonso wrapped
up a 1-2 for Renault in the second round of the 18-race season, with Britain's
Jenson Button (Honda) in third ahead of Columbian Juan Pablo Montoya in a
McLaren-Mercedes and the Ferrari pair of Felipe Massa (Brazil) and Germany's
Michael Schumacher. Ralf Schumacher (Toyota) was eighth.

"We are happy with the first two points for the new team, which we earned in
the home country of our premium partner Petronas. Both our drivers showed good
race pace," said BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen: "However, overall
we're disappointed. Nick was in an excellent position to finish fifth when his
engine failure intervened. We had already used that engine in Bahrain and it
will now be analysed in Munich. We will continue to pull out all the stops to
improve reliability."

World champion Alonso now leads the drivers' standings on 18 points, from
Michael Schumacher and Button (both on 11). Villeneuve's two points put him in
ninth position.

In the constructors' championship, Renault lead the way with 28 points, ahead
of Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes (both on 15). The BMW Sauber F1 Team is in
sixth position on two points.

Ex-world champion Villeneuve explained: "I got held up early on behind Jarno
Trulli, which was a pity because it cost me time. Once I had overtaken him it
was just a question of running to the end. Physically it was an easier race
than I had expected and I knew I should be in good shape mechanically because
it was the first race for my engine. It was bad luck for Nick, but we've scored
the points we should have taken in Bahrain so I am happy. The race pace was
strong, so we need now to work on our qualifying."

Looking back on the race, the unfortunate Heidfeld reflected: "I hoped we would
be faster than we were in qualifying, but I didn't expect us to be so good. I
could keep pace with the McLaren and was quicker than either of the Ferraris. I
made a superb start and gained places straightaway. After that I had a
trouble-free race apart from delays with blue flags which made lapping
back-markers difficult. After my second pit stop it was pretty close between
Felipe Massa and I in Turn I, but I was able to stay ahead of him. The engine
failure came without warning. Fifth place would have been brilliant for us -
its a real shame."

Willy Rampf, Technical Director Chassis, also accentuated the positive: "Our
cars demonstrated strong performance today, which mirrored what we had expected
after practice on Friday. It was a thrilling race for us, particularly for Nick
who was able to keep both Ferraris behind him after his second stop.
Unfortunately he was unable to finish the race, so instead of five points we
only collected two. Both drivers did an excellent job and those two points are
the reward for the whole team."

Practice and qualifying.
The Formula One paddock in Sepang is a tough place for racing teams throughout
the year - the tropical heat and oppressive humidity, coupled with heavy
thunderstorms and cloudbursts, see to that. Indeed, the atmosphere is similar
to being in a sauna, where water is occasionally splashed onto the hot stones
to increase the steam. The fixed programme for a GP weekend, however, makes no
provisions for such conditions, with the teams pushed to the limits of their
endurance before and during the race in Malaysia. Unusually, there was no pause
for breath between the first and second rounds of the championship. The teams
worked late into the night the previous Sunday in Bahrain to dismantle and pack
away their kit before setting up shop all over again in Malaysia without so
much as breaking stride.

Having let him down in Bahrain, Villeneuve's BMW P86 engine, meanwhile, was on
its way home. The diagnosis from Munich centred on a malfunction in the crank
mechanism and a modified specification of the unit was flown out to Malaysia.
As Theissen explained: "This isn't a problem which had ever cropped up before.
Nick's engine, which went the distance in Bahrain, was the same
specification." The comparative reliability of Heidfeld's P86, incidentally,
meant that it had to prove its mettle in a second GP in Sepang. "We knew that
this entailed a certain element of risk," continued Theissen. Analysis in
Munich will reveal whether the engine failure in Malaysia can be traced back to
the same cause as in Bahrain.

The durability of the brand new V8 engines over two GP races became a burning
issue in Malaysia. Seven drivers had to replace their engines, although
Villeneuve and Fisichella avoided any starting grid penalties by virtue of
failing to finish the race in Bahrain. The FIA regulations rate that as
punishment enough and Fisichella had particular cause to be grateful to the
powers-that-be. The Italian went on to record the third pole position of his F1
career in Sepang.

The V8 of David Coulthard's Red Bull just about made it across the finish line
in Bahrain before giving way, leaving the unlucky Scot to join the two Ferrari
drivers Schumacher and Massa, Honda's Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher of
Toyota - whose engine had blown on the start-finish straight during qualifying
- on the ten-place slide down the grid after qualifying.

And all that left the rule-makers with a tricky predicament before race day.
The FIA eventually published the starting line-up on Sunday morning - to much
gnashing of teeth. Fisichella would start on pole ahead of Button, followed by
Williams-Cosworth drivers Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber, the McLarens of Montoya
and Kimi Räikkönen, Alonso, Christian Klien (Red Bull), Jarno Trulli (Toyota),
Villeneuve in tenth position and Heidfeld in eleventh.

The BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers certainly emerged from the situation happier
than most. Qualifying had gone disappointingly for the team, with Villeneuve
and Heidfeld finishing in 14th and 15th respectively and thus failing to make
the cut for the final top-ten shoot-out. Both drivers had been expecting more.
Lap times during free practice with scrubbed tyres and heavier fuel loads had
been extremely promising and Robert Kubica's feedback from testing with fresh
tyres had also raised expectations. "However, somehow we never really got the
tyres working in qualifying," lamented Villeneuve, who had praised the high
levels of grip on Friday. Added to which, Heidfeld's crucial flying lap was
undermined by a different kind of problem, Coulthard sticking to the racing
line as the German driver closed behind him and ensuring that an extremely fast
first sector was followed by two decidedly modest time splits.

Start and finish.
In the half hour before the start, and with the TV cameras trained squarely on
the start-finish straight, the team welcomed the arrival of a very special
ambassador : no lesser figure than Malaysia's Prime Minister was sporting an
official BMW Sauber F1 Team shirt as he accompanied Bernie Ecclestone on a grid
walkabout. While the assembled dignitaries, including the PM's bodyguards,
appeared to be coping serenely with the oppressive humidity, the mechanics were
gasping for air inside their fireproof overalls and the grid girl standing next
to Villeneuve's car, while dressed in a rather skimpier outfit than the
mechanics, even fainted briefly.

Once the lights went out above the grid, meanwhile, Heidfeld laid on a perfect
start for the watching Professor Burkhard Göschel, BMW Board Member responsible
for Development. The German driver moved up from his eleventh position on the
grid to sixth within the first lap. Villeneuve completed the first circuit in
ninth and tucked in behind Trulli. Räikkönen, meanwhile, had already retired
from the race after a collision in the opening exchanges. At the head of the
field, Fisichella had settled into an early lead ahead of Button and Alonso.

On lap four, Rosberg fought his way back past Heidfeld, relegating the BMW
Sauber F1 Team driver to seventh. However, Rosberg didn't have long to enjoy
his freshly gained sixth position, the Williams rookie's Cosworth engine giving
way on lap seven and engulfing Heidfeld in a cloud of smoke. "I was fortunate,"
recalled Heidfeld later, "that I didn't slide off on the oil he left behind."

Rosberg's retirement moved Heidfeld back up to sixth, with Villeneuve eighth.
The Canadian then lost a place when Michael Schumacher passed him on lap 12,
but climbed back to seventh on lap 16 after finally getting the better of
Trulli and benefiting from Webber's retirement in the second Williams-Cosworth.

Villeneuve came in for the first of two pit stops after 23 laps, Heidfeld
following suit a lap later. The German emerged from the first round of stops in
a solid fifth position, with Villeneuve in eighth having lost a place to Massa.
Villeneuve resumed with the same track position after his second scheduled stop
on lap 41 and Heidfeld, who pitted one lap later, also defended his fifth
place successfully from Massa's Ferrari.

Fisichella, Alonso and Button, meanwhile, had taken root at the head of the
field by the time Heidfeld's engine - and likely fifth place - went up in smoke
seven laps from the end. The flip side of the incident saw Villeneuve gain
another position and cross the finish line in seventh.

History and background:
A week after the start of the Formula One World Championship, the curtain also
came up on the 2006 season in Formula BMW Asia. As part of the support
programme of the Formula One event in Sepang, aspiring young racing drivers
from Asia and Oceania competed against each other in small Formula race cars
built by BMW. The races on Saturday and Sunday were won by Hamed Al Fardan
(Team Meritus) from Bahrain.

This is the eighth time that Formula One has stopped off at the Sepang circuit.
The extensive, modern race track designed by German architect Hermann Tilke is
about half an hour's drive south of the city of Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur was founded in the middle of the jungle by tin miners in 1857.
Under British rule, the Malay Sultanates formed the Federation of Malaya in
1896 with Kuala Lumpur as its capital city. In 1957 Kuala Lumpur became the
capital of the newly independent country.

Kuala Lumpur translates as "muddy estuary" due to its location at the mouth of
the rivers Gombak and Klang. "KL", as the city is generally referred to today,
is the pulsating hub of modern Malaysia. The capital is also the country's
biggest city with a population of around 1.5 million (52 percent Chinese, 39
percent Malay, 6 percent Indian, plus other minority groups) living in an area
of 244 square kilometres. KL offers vibrant Asian culture alongside British
colonial architecture and famous high-tech edifices such as the Petronas Twin
Towers in the city's "Golden Triangle".

With their 88 storeys, the Petronas Twin Towers soar above the city skyline.
They are the tallest twin towers and the seventh-highest structure in the world
and home, among others, to the Petronas Philharmonic and Petronas Performing
Arts Group.

On the Tuesday and Wednesday before the Grand Prix Heidfeld and Villeneuve took
part in some enjoyable PR activities in KL with premium partner Petronas. These
included opening a service station and paying a visit to school children, where
games and competitions were on the agenda.

Results and points.

1. Giancarlo Fisichella (Mild Seven Renault F1 Team), 56 laps in 1hr 30:40.529
min
2. Fernando Alonso (Mild Seven Renault F1 Team), + 4.585 sec
3. Jenson Button (Lucky Strike Honda Racing F1 Team), + 9.631 sec
4. Juan Pablo Montoya (Team McLaren Mercedes), + 39.351 sec
5. Felipe Massa (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro), + 43.254 sec
6. Michael Schumacher (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro), + 43.854 sec
7. Jacques Villeneuve (BMW Sauber F1 Team), + 80.461 sec
8. Ralf Schumacher (Panasonic Toyota Racing), + 81.288 sec

Drivers' championship:
1. Alonso (18)
2. M. Schumacher (11)
Button (11)
4. Fisichella (10)
5. Montoya (9)
6. Räikkönen (6)
7. Massa (4)
8. Webber (3)
9. Rosberg (2)
Villeneuve (2)
11. R. Schumacher (1)
12. Klien (1)

Constructors' championship:
1. Mild Seven Renault F1 Team (28)
2. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro (15)
Team McLaren Mercedes (15)
4. Lucky Strike Honda Racing F1 Team (11)
5. Williams F1 Team (5)
6. BMW Sauber F1 Team (2)
7. Panasonic Toyota Racing (1)
Red Bull Racing (1)