4th place for Heidfeld as Kubica suffers problems
The BMW Sauber F1 Team had mixed fortunes in the Malaysian Grand Prix with a strong performance from Nick Heidfeld putting him fourth for the second consecutive race. However, problems from the starting lights beset Robert Kubica who finished 18th.
Nick Heidfeld: 4th BMW Sauber F1.07-05/BMW P86/7 Fastest Lap: 1.37.417 min on lap 37 (5th fastest overall) “I'm very happy, this is a fantastic experience! To beat one of the Ferraris might not happen again so soon. In the early part of the weekend Felipe was so superior. After we had major problems with the balance of the car in practice, everything was fine in the race. The handling was good and we had no technical problems whatsoever, and I felt fine despite the heat. In the first corner, Robert touched me. He apologized - this can happen. Luckily my car was not damaged. I was able to pass Felipe when he went wide, and I was surprised I could keep him behind me quite easily and that he pitted earlier than me. During my last stint I was using the harder tyres, and this also worked well. My top speed was good which made it difficult for Felipe to attack. It's a great and, also, a little unexpected result. But we should keep our feet on the ground. We have to keep on working in order to avoid some of the mistakes which we are still making.”
Robert Kubica: 18th BMW Sauber F1.07-04/BMW P86/7 Fastest Lap: 1.38.874 min on lap 19 (17th fastest overall) “I had a big problem, in fact, everything happened in my race today from the gearbox, to a puncture at the beginning of the race. The pace was really slow and it is better to forget this race quickly. However, we have shown when the car is working we are quick. For me in these two races the car was not working, so this is disappointing as the pace in testing was really good. In qualifying the pace was good, then in the race nothing worked. My main problem was braking stability, it was impossible to stop the car and I crossed the line at the end with many mistakes, I was locking, going straight and had oversteer. Also during the race we had not communication by radio.“
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director “This was again a very strong performance. Nick had a trouble free race in which he moved from fifth on the grid to fourth, settled himself there and scored five points for us. With this we have managed to put ourselves among the top teams and confirmed our good performance at the home Grand Prix of Petronas. Robert, meanwhile, had bad luck. He damaged the aerodynamics of his car in the first corner crush and afterwards the car was difficult to drive. We have strengthened our third position in the Constructors’ Championship and are looking forward to race number three in Bahrain next weekend.“
Willy Rampf, Technical Director "Both drivers made good starts. Robert managed to overtake Nico Rosberg, but then our two drivers made contact in the first corner. Robert's lap times got worse and worse, therefore, we decided to bring him into the pits. However, because we had no radio communication with him, we didn't know what his problem was. We changed tyres and sent him out again. We then realised that the front wing was slightly damaged, so brought him in again and changed the nose. Obviously, his race was ruined. Nick drove an excellent race and he was ready to take an advantage when Felipe Massa went wide. Nick drove a quick and consistent race, and also benefited from the strategy with two long stints. Compliments for a very good performance!"
