A challenge for the team - Theissen

This weekend, the BMW Sauber F1 Team will contest the first Grand Prix on European soil and the first ever for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen talks about the improved working conditions and the BMW P86 engine.

"Dear motorsport enthusiasts,

Everybody looks forward to the start of the European season - with both people and materials having less distance to travel - and the working conditions in the paddock are better. When we get to Europe, the teams suddenly become home-owners, with the motorhomes set up for the first time in the year.

We will have a new motorhome this year and are looking forward to settling in. However, the F1 village will have to squeeze into one of the smallest paddock areas for the first European race of the season.

Both Nick and Jacques will be using the same BMW P86 engines they finished with in Australia. With the short development time we had for the new engines, that continues to present a challenge for the team.

Both engines are still at the stage of development we had reached prior to the race in Melbourne. And, with its high downforce requirement and uphill sections, Imola is a track which generally puts a lot of strain on the engines.

Yours sincerely,

Mario Theissen."