The result gives us a boost - Theissen

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen looks back on the eleventh race of the year, the European Grand Prix in Valencia. It was the first race for the team after it was announced that BMW will withdraw from F1 in 2010.

Theissen said: "The European Grand Prix in Valencia was a special race for everyone in the BMW Sauber F1 Team. It was, after all, the first race since BMW decided to withdraw from Formula One at the end of the current season. And so it was with mixed feelings that we started the first of the seven remaining races.

"One thing is certain: after three years of experiencing ever-increasing levels of success, this is the first season in which we will fail to reach the goal we set ourselves. Of course we would have loved to show with next year's car that 2009 was just a blip, as experienced by any top team.

"Now our work is focusing on the next few months. We want to bid farewell to Formula One with respect and good results. We want to get back into the fast lane, and so the development packages will be implemented right through to the finale in Abu Dhabi, as planned. We want to show everyone that, even in the most difficult times, we were able to turn things around. This feeling of "now more than ever" is there for everyone to feel.

"We took the first step in Valencia. The team's reaction after the summer break was exemplary, and we put in a more than creditable performance. In comparison to previous races, positions ten and eleven on the starting grid were already an improvement. In the race itself, Robert was able to move through the field to eighth place and into the points. Nick was actually in a better position to freely select a strategy and attack. However, he got stuck in traffic for several phases of the race and this prevented him from achieving what was really possible. The result gives us a boost for the remaining races and the development packages still to come this season."