BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM - SPANISH GRAND PRIX - PREVIEW

Spanish Grand Prix.

11th - 13th May 2007
4th of 17 World Championship rounds

Preview.

The European curtain-raiser of the 2007 Formula One World Championship has the
added attraction of being a kind of second start to the season. Barcelona
offers the F1 teams the first opportunity of the year to roll out their stylish
yet practical motorhomes, meaning that they no longer have to live out of
containers. The first race back in the old continent invariably draws huge
crowds. The organisers are reporting a full house and expect 145,000 spectators
for the race.

Meanwhile, the BMW Sauber F1 Team is doing its bit to bring the Formula One
feeling from the race track - located outside Barcelona - into the centre of
the Catalan capital. On its latest stop-off, the Pit Lane Park is taking shape
in the city's portside area within eyeshot of the Columbus Monument.

The BMW Sauber F1 Team has just completed four days of testing at the Circuit
de Catalunya with race drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica. After
establishing itself as the third-strongest outfit on the grid in the first
three grands prix of the year, the team is looking to defend its position in
Europe.

Nick Heidfeld:
"I've been on the move a lot during the break since Bahrain - in Leipzig,
Munich and Hinwil, in Monza for filming work, at the Nürburgring Nordschleife
and in Barcelona for the test. At the Nürburgring I did my inspection lap in a
Formula BMW car.

It was a funny feeling getting back into a junior racing car, but there's no
comparison between this car and the single-seaters I started out in. I'll be at
the wheel of the Formula BMW car once again on the Wednesday before the
Barcelona race, this time in Valencia as part of a three-pronged sporting
challenge with yachtsman Tony Kolb and golf pro José Manuel Lara.

"Taking a Formula One racer out on the Nordschleife was an extraordinary
experience. I very much enjoy driving the car in unusual surroundings - I took
it for a spin on the ice of St Moritz and now I've put in a few laps at the
'Green Hell' as well. We'll have to wait and see if there's more to come.

"Of course, all the teams have used the time leading up to the first race of
the European season for development work. The test in Barcelona was also
important, although the weather was pretty poor. The extensive testing carried
out here means that all the drivers know the track like the back of their hand.

It's a fast circuit and has some nice corners. The fact that this is now the
home GP for the world champion has made it much more attractive. Additional
grandstands were built for the 2006 race, and they filled up as well. Racing in
this kind of atmosphere is great for all the drivers, not only Fernando. The
track layout has been modified - the new section is less exciting, but safer.
Now I'm hoping for another good result for my 30th birthday!"

Robert Kubica:
"I'm looking forward to getting started in Europe again and am aiming to earn
myself a few more points in the coming weeks. Like all the Formula One teams we
know the Barcelona track very well thanks to all the testing we do here.
However, the circuit has been changed since last year.

The last two corners are not as fast as they used to be, and that will affect
car set-up. We have done some more testing in Barcelona in the lead-up to this
year's race. Here, it was important to go the right way and find the ideal
balance for the car. We have a lot of data at our disposal and I think we can
be quick from the start.

"I like the track, but I'm afraid that the new corners have taken away some of
its charm. Fast corners with high downforce are a real treat in a Formula One
car. But now the two high-speed corners have been replaced by a tight chicane,
where you are only doing 60 or 70 km/h. We used to hit 260 km/h through that
part of the track. This change to the track means less fun, but greater
safety."

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
"Our performances in the first three rounds of the World Championship have
given us a very good start to the season and we have used the time since the
Bahrain Grand Prix to fit in some intensive development work. Our rivals will
certainly have been doing much the same, though, and the burning question is
whether the balance of power has shifted as a result.

Our aim is very clear - to maintain our position as the third-best team on the
grid. The Circuit de Catalunya is a circuit which places a variety of different
demands on the cars, and this has often resulted in it being used as a gauge of
a team's overall competitiveness.

"The first race back in Europe is also like a second start to the season in
another respect. This is the first time in 2007 that the Formula One World
Championship will be reeling out its full regalia. The trucks and hospitality
facilities certainly look very impressive, but more importantly they also
lighten the workload on the teams. And that's something we're all very pleased
about.

"As announced, following the overseas races we have been looking closely at the
driver line-up for the Friday of the GP weekends. Until further notice, the two
race drivers will be on track for the whole of Friday.

"Barcelona will see us offering fans and spectators their second opportunity of
the year after Kuala Lumpur to visit the BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park. Like
last year, this high-tech experience park will be set up in the portside area,
near the Ramblas in the centre of Barcelona. The Park is an emotional platform
and offers visitors high entertainment value. Nowhere else can the fans enjoy
this kind of unobstructed glimpse behind the scenes, reach out and touch real
Formula One exhibits and witness an F1 car in spectacular action at close
quarters. The Pit Lane Park was given a very good reception in 2006 and
attracted over 30,000 people to its 2007 debut in Malaysia last month. I am in
no doubt that it will leave a lasting impression with everybody who visits it
again this season."

Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
"Barcelona is one of the most popular testing venues for the teams, which might
lead you to think that all the cars will automatically have a good set-up as a
result. The fact is, however, that this course reacts very strongly to
fluctuations in temperature, and often the wind also has a big impact. All of
which means that the track can present a different challenge time after time.

"The modifications to the last two corners have significantly decreased the
speed of the cars through this section of the circuit, and this has somewhat
reduced the previously very high loads on the left front tyre. In testing we
tried out various new aerodynamics and chassis components, as well as
modifications to the car's electronics - and these have yielded very promising
results. I'm, therefore, approaching the race in confident mood."

History and background:

The first two Spanish GPs since the official inauguration of Formula One in
1950 took place in Pedralbes. The subsequent venues were Jarama (9 GPs),
Montjuich (4) and Jerez (5). To date, a total of 36 Spanish Formula One GPs
have been staged. Since 1991 the event has been hosted by the Circuit de
Catalunya, about half an hour's drive northeast of Barcelona. 2007 marks the
17th Spanish Grand Prix to be held there.

The city of Barcelona (population approx. 1.8 million) lies in northeastern
Spain and is an important Mediterranean port. The capital of Catalonia, it is
the state's economic and cultural hub and home to several universities and
institutes of higher education as well as numerous museums and cultural
monuments. Among the city's most famous sons is the art nouveau architect
Antonio Gaudí (1852-1926), who bequeathed many works to the city, including the
as yet unfinished Church of the Sagrada Familia.

Schedule for group interviews at the weekend:

Thursday:
13.30-13.50 - Nick Heidfeld - print media
13.50-14.00 - Nick Heidfeld - TV
13.30-13.40 - Robert Kubica - TV
13.40-14.00 - Robert Kubica - print media
14.00-14.10 - Sebastian Vettel - TV
14.10-14.30 - Sebastian Vettel - print media
15.30-16.00 - Mario Theissen - TV and print media

Friday:
16.00 - Nick Heidfeld and Mario Theissen - FIA press conference
16.45-16.55 - Robert Kubica - TV

Saturday:
16.45-16.55 - Nick Heidfeld - TV
16.55-17.15 - Nick Heidfeld - print media
16.45-17.05 - Robert Kubica - print media
17.05-17.15 - Robert Kubica -TV
17.30-18.00 - Mario Theissen - TV and print media

Sunday:
Approx. 30 minutes after the end of the race, Heidfeld, Kubica, Theissen and
Rampf will be on hand in the team's Hospitality area.

TV footage can be downloaded at www.thenewsmarket.com. Recordings can be
ordered from ICN (David Beck), dbeck@icnsport.com.

Latest photos are regularly available at www.press.bmwgroup.com.