'Now things are getting exciting' - Rampf

Prior to the Bahrain Grand Prix, Willy Rampf, Technical Director Chassis of the BMW Sauber F1 Team, speaks about the preparations for the season and the importance of the qualifying. The German is particularly looking forward to the direct competition with the other teams.

An intense period of pre-season preparation lies behind the BMW Sauber F1 Team. However, the fascination of the pinnacle of motorsport lies in the battle between teams and drivers. "During our winter test drives, we notched up almost 10.000 kilometres with the BMW Sauber F1.06," says Rampf. "Now things are getting quite exciting because we all want to know how we measure up to the competition. On the Saturday after qualifying in Bahrain we will have a first important indicator."

According to Rampf the qualifying sessions in the season 2006 will be even more important than last year. "The new regulations, which allow for tyre changes again, will place a far greater focus on preparations for qualifying," he confirms. "Last year it was tyre consistency over the entire race distance that was crucially important, now performance in qualifying has returned to the forefront."

The BMW Sauber F1 Team will present Robert Kubica as third driver on Friday, who will support Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve in the evaluation of different tyre options. "Robert will play an important role," Rampf says. "On Friday morning he will already be able to make the first comparisons and feed us valuable information with regard to tyre choice."