Well-prepared for the Australian GP

Prior to the Australian Grand Prix on 2nd April, Willy Rampf, Technical Director Chassis, speaks about the chances of the BMW Sauber F1 Team and the specific characteristics of the street circuit in Melbourne.

In Malaysia, Jacques Villeneuve managed to collect the first two points of the season for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. Willy Rampf is optimistic that the team will be successful at the 'Albert Park Circuit' as well.

"Following our good race performance in Malaysia we are confident that we can be similarly competitive in Melbourne," said Rampf. And the qualifying session should be particularly important. "The last race showed how incredibly tight the field is this year. That's why it will be extremely important to get the maximum out of the cars in qualifying."

In order to be well-prepared for the race down under, the BMW Sauber F1 Team already tested in Imola before the season. "It's a 'stop-start' kind of track and the layout is similar to Imola, which is why we held our last round of pre-season testing there," adds Rampf.

The track has plenty of full-throttle sections but also features numerous narrow corners. Rampf confirms: "The layout of the circuit means that brakes are placed under serious loads in Melbourne and we will therefore focus heavily on braking stability when it comes to car set-up."