Theissen lauds JV's efforts for BMW

Any suggestions that, at the age of 34, Jacques would struggle to compete with the next generation of F1 racers have been comprehensively quelled in the first two months of the season. After watching JV score points in three of the five opening races, the delighted Theissen, not prone to hyperbole, has been moved to observe that Jacques "has proved he is one of the strong drivers in Formula One."

For BMW, too, the 2006 season has began in bright fashion. Teething problems with fusing the BMW and Sauber camps have been conspicuous by their absence since the buy-out last November. Moreover, the nascent team has regularly out-paced luminaries such as Toyota and Williams, while JV himself was able to fend off the Renault of Giancarlo Fisichella and Juan Pablo Montoya's McLaren for long periods of the European GP.

BMW are already renowned for their attention to detail, and the team's meticulous approach to their debut season was reflected in their driver selection. Theissen only publicly confirmed BMW's driver line-up in late January, a consequence of a thorough process which ensured that the team's drivers were the best available.

"We watched Jacques throughout last season," explains Mario Theissen. "It was apparent that even a World Champion cannot come back after a one-year break and be right there from the beginning. In the second half of the season Jacques was gaining ground, closing in on his team-mate [Felipe Massa], putting in some strong performances.

"After that we had a few discussions and after the season we got the impression that he was very motivated and wanted to prove he was still one of the top drivers in Formula 1. On that basis we decided to have him with us this year."

It was a choice, says Theissen with evident satisfaction, that has been thoroughly vindicated by JV's impressive start to the season.

"After five races now we can say Jacques has put in a lot of effort and he has proved he is one of the strong drivers in Formula One. He does a good job for the team, has worked very hard and collected six of our eleven points.

"He is very committed and, together with Nick and our young test driver Robert, he is helping the team to close the gap between where we are now and the front runners.

"He was World Champion and that is his asset.

So, too, is his experience, and there is no danger of the team resting on its laurels. As Theissen is quick to remind, "We are still in the early phase of the season, having completed five out of 18 races."