BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM - GERMAN GP - PREVIEW

18th – 20th July 2008
10th of 18 World Championship races

Munich/Hinwil, 11th July 2008. The excitement is building at the BMW Sauber F1
Team ahead of its home GP at Hockenheim on 20th July. The team has conducted
three days of testing at the circuit in the state of Baden-Württemberg in
preparation for the race.

Formula One welcomes back the German Grand Prix following an absence of two
years. 2008 also sees the return of Hockenheim to the calendar, after the
Nürburgring hosted a round of the 2007 World Championship under the banner of
the European Grand Prix. Five of the 20 drivers on the F1 grid hold a German
passport, with Nick Heidfeld by far the most successful of the group.

Currently lying fifth in the Drivers’ Championship on 36 points, Heidfeld
recorded his third second-place finish of the season at Silverstone last time
out. The German is 10 points behind his team-mate Robert Kubica in the
standings, the Pole – on 46 points – trailing the leaders by just two points.
Going into round 10 of the 18-race season, Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes)
and the Ferrari pair of Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen are level at the top on
48 points. In the constructors’ standings, the BMW Sauber F1 Team remains in
second place at the half-way point of the season.

The German Grand Prix programme will see the revival of the most spectacular
single-make competition in motor racing history. The BMW M1 Procar series will
be back at Hockenheim on Saturday and Sunday as a field of ten cars

Nick Heidfeld:
“I’m really looking forward to my home grand prix. Hockenheim is a very special
race for the whole team, while a lot of Swiss fans have traditionally made the
trip across the border to give their support. I personally have a lot of good
memories of the Hockenheimring, especially the old circuit with its long
straights through the forest. Those sections were really unmistakeable, but the
new track is, of course, significantly safer and better for the spectators –
and I appreciate it for those reasons. Plus, a good overtaking opportunity has
been created in the Parabolika. I’ve driven at Hockenheim in Formula Ford,
Formula 3, Formula 3000 and Formula One, and can’t wait for this grand prix.”

Robert Kubica:
“In 2006 I had the opportunity to drive at Hockenheim in free practice on
Friday, but this will be my first Formula One grand prix there – although I did
race at the circuit in F3. We weren’t there last year so I think it will be a
very special weekend for our team and especially for BMW and all the BMW fans.
We always try our best. It is the kind of track with different kinds of
corners, although not really high-speed corners. The only one that is quite
quick is when you enter the stadium, where there is always a special
atmosphere. I know corner one is pretty quick but not really a long corner.
There are some quite short corners with only one line you can take through
them.”

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
“This is the only F1 race being held in our home country in 2008 and naturally
we’re very much looking forward to it. However, you can’t afford to let that
disturb your concentration – after all, we don’t get any more points here just
because its our home GP. The circuit has lost some of its allure since they cut
out the straights through the forest, but the atmosphere should be fantastic
after a year without Formula One. It is sure to be an extremely exciting race.
Three drivers are tied at the top of the drivers’ standings, while Robert is
only two points behind them. Nick is not far away either, and his strong
performance at Silverstone has given him an extra boost. You could not have
written a better script for our home GP.

“Hockenheim takes us into the second half of the season. The nine races so far
have brought us 82 points and seven podiums, and we have scored points on every
occasion. All of which means we are in second place in the Constructors’
Championship, 14 points behind Ferrari but 10 ahead of McLaren Mercedes. The
highlight of our season so far has, of course, been the one-two in Montreal.
Fastest race lap, pole position, race victory – in all the categories where
there was a zero next to our team in the statistics not so long ago, there is
now a 1. And that has, of course, given the team members in Munich and Hinwil
even more confidence. Everybody in the team can see that we are on the right
path.

“We set out to turn the two-horse race at the top of the standings into a
three-way battle and to win our first race, and we have achieved this goal. Two
teams are still a touch faster than us when you look at the lap times. However,
as far as the reliability of our cars and the work of the pit crew and race
strategists are concerned, we are already a top team. We will now make every
effort to keep our chances alive this season, while not neglecting the
development of the F1.09. That is a big challenge, especially given the radical
rule changes due to come into force next year.”

Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
“Needless to say, Hockenheim is a very special race for us, and there is an
extra buzz of anticipation within the team. The circuit is characterised by
slow and medium-speed corners, where you need a lot of downforce. More than any
other part of the track, the Motodrom is a key section when it comes to the lap
time. However, you can’t afford to ignore top speed altogether, as the best
overtaking spot is going into the hairpin after the long Parabolika, which is
taken flat-out. Here, as well as a good top speed, the most important thing for
the drivers is high braking stability and optimum traction on the exit from the
corner.”

Facts and figures:
Circuit/Date: Hockenheim/20th July 2008
Start time (local/UTC): 14.00 hrs/12.00 hrs
Lap/Race distance: 4.574 km/308.863 km (67 laps)
Corners: 10 right-hand and 7 left-hand corners
Winner 2006 Michael Schumacher, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, 1 hr 27:51.693 min
Pole position 2006: Kimi Räikkönen, Team McLaren Mercedes, 1:14.070 min
Fastest lap 2006: Michael Schumacher, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, 1:16.357 min

Data 2006 (race):
Full-throttle percentage: 64 %
Top speed: 310 km/h
Longest stretch at full throttle: 14 sec / 1,030 m
Gear changes per lap: 46
Tyre wear: medium
Brake wear: medium to high
Downforce level: medium to high

Nick Heidfeld
Date of birth: 10.05.1977
Place of birth: Mönchengladbach/Germany
Nationality: German
Residence: Stäfa, Switzerland
Marital status: Partner Patricia Papen, daughter Juni, son Joda
Height: 1.67 m
Weight: 61 kg
F1 debut: 2000, Melbourne
GP starts: 143
Pole positions: 1
Wins: -
Podium places: 10
Fastest laps: 1
Best placing: 5th (2007)
Total points: 176
Points 2008: 36 (5th place)

Robert Kubica
Date of birth: 07.12.1984
Place of birth: Krakow/Poland
Nationality: Polish
Residence: Monaco
Marital status: Single
Height: 1.84 m
Weight: 69 kg
F1 debut: 2006, Budapest
GP starts: 31
Pole positions: 1
Wins: 1
Podium places: 5
Fastest laps: -
Best placing: 6th (2007)
Total points: 91
Points 2008: 46 (4th place)

BMW Sauber F1 Team
Founded: 01.01.2006
Locations: Munich (DE) and Hinwil (CH)
F1 debut: 2006, Melbourne
GP starts: 44
Pole positions: 1
Wins: 1
Podium places: 10 (4 x 3rd / 5 x 2nd / 1 x 1st)
Fastest laps: 1
Championship placings:
5th (2006), 36 points
2nd (2007), 101 points
2nd (2008), 82 points after 9 GPs

History and background:
Hockenheim has a population of over 20,000 and lies in the state of
Baden-Württemberg. Hockenheim’s inaugural event, held on an as yet unsurfaced
triangular track, was a motorcycle race which took place on 29th May 1932. In
1938 the circuit was modified to become the oval-shaped Kurpfalzring. 1957 saw
further upgrading and the addition of the Motodrom. Hockenheim’s first Formula
One GP was held on 2nd August 1970. In 1977 the German Grand Prix moved to
Baden, only returning to the Nürburgring once – in 1985.

For its 70th anniversary in 2002, the race track displayed a new design and a
new name: since then, the “Hockenheimring Baden Württemberg“ has managed
without the famous long forest straights which offered no room for spectators.
Where the course used to disappear into the woods, the field now takes a right
turn into the full-throttle Parabolika section. This ends in a hairpin that is
taken in first gear with the steering wheel almost at full lock. A generous
asphalt run-off zone encourages overtaking manoeuvres. Following this hairpin,
a right-left-right combination leads back into the Motodrom “stadium”.

Schedule for group interviews at the weekend:
Thursday:
13.30-13.40 – Robert Kubica – TV
13.40-14.00 – Robert Kubica – print media
14.00-14.10 – Christian Klien – TV
14.10-14.30 – Christian Klien – print media
14.00-14.20 – Marko Asmer – print media
14.20-14.30 – Marko Asmer – TV
15.00 – Nick Heidfeld – FIA press conference
15.30-15.35 – Mario Theissen – TV
15.35-16.00 – Mario Theissen – print media
18.00-18.30 – Willy Rampf – by prior arrangement only

Friday:
16.00 – Mario Theissen – FIA press conference
16.45-16.55 – Nick Heidfeld – TV
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
17.30-17.35 – Mario Theissen – TV
17.35-18.00 – Mario Theissen – 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.

Involvement in the FIA press conference means the group interviews will be
cancelled on the relevant day.

For further information please visit the media website
www.press.bmw-motorsport.com (press releases, press kits, images, TV footage)
and the official team website www.bmw-sauber-f1.com (car, season, Race Club,
team updates).