Double diffuser step forward for BMW Sauber
The BMW Sauber F1 Team runs a new aero package including a double diffuser in Istanbul. Due to the Formula One test ban the team had to run a packed programme during the two 90 minute practice sessions on Friday.
Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.09-03 / BMW P86/9
1st Free Practice: 16th, 1:30.645 min / 2nd Free Practice: 3rd, 1:29.056 min
“Today we worked on the set-up of the car and tried to understand the two tyre compounds Bridgestone have brought to Istanbul. Additionally this was the first time we have had the double diffuser on our car. We did a couple of different tests so as to understand how it works and what effects it has on the car’s balance. It is too early to say if it works well as the difference between Monaco and Istanbul is too large.”
Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.09-06 / BMW P86/9
1st Free Practice: 17th, 1:30.689 min / 2nd Free Practice: 16th, 1:29.550 min
“My lap time doesn’t look good but I still have confidence in our new aero package. Actually the balance of my car wasn’t right, but Robert’s lap time is quite promising. On the positive side, the bad balance of the car has indicated the direction we need to go in and so we can work on it. We didn’t do major changes in the second session because we had to do some important comparisons.”
Willy Rampf, Head of Engineering: “We used the double diffuser for the first time today, and it looks like this is a step forward. However, we still have a lot of work to do, because it’s quite difficult to find the right balance with both tyre specifications. Between the morning and the afternoon sessions we changed the set-up of the two cars quite a bit to make the new aero package work. In the afternoon, as usual, we did our race preparation and the pace looked quite promising.”
