'The engines have to put up with huge thermal loads'

Just one week after Formula One's 2006 curtain-raiser in Bahrain, the BMW Sauber F1 Team is in race action again, at the Malaysian Grand Prix. In his regular colmn, BMW Motorsport Director, Mario Theissen talks about the second race of the year.

"Dear motorsport enthusiasts,

Having taken initial stock following the first race of the season, we are now looking forward very much to visiting the home of our main sponsor Petronas. There can't be many cities as closely associated with a company as Kuala Lumpur, watched over as it is by the Petronas Twin Towers.

As part of its Asian strategy the BMW Group has raised its involvement in Malaysia, which includes a sales subsidiary, a parts distribution centre and an IT centre.

In Sepang the engines have to put up with huge thermal loads, and fuel temperatures also rise to critical levels. Every team prepares for the heat with extra or larger engine air-cooling intakes in the sidepods as well as apertures in the form of slits, flues or exhaust vents. The aerodynamics and engine experts always have to aim for a compromise.

Sincerely yours,
Mario Theissen"