BMW Sauber hoping to repeat French result at Silverstone
”Welcome to Silverstone – The Home of British Motor Racing“ is written in huge letters at the main gate of the circuit where the British Grand Prix is going to be held on 8th July. Without doubt the Northamptonshire track is a classic on the Formula One calendar. There the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers, Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, want to hunt for points just seven days after the French Grand Prix.
The traditional Silverstone circuit provides an ideal setting for the BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park. The high-tech theme park offers Formula One fans not only the chance to look at but also to touch their sport. Entry to the huge area behind the Becketts grandstand is free. The programme ranges from spectacular show drives to first hand experiences, such as changing wheels at a pit stop or competing on a race simulator. Nigel Mansell plans to make the first run of the Formula One car on Friday. Another British Grand Prix winner, Johnny Herbert, will then take over driving duties from the former World Champion on Saturday, followed on Sunday by Sebastian Vettel, who celebrates his 20th birthday on the 3rd July.
Nick Heidfeld ”I especially like the crowd in England because they are just true racing fans. They are very well informed and were also enthusiastic in the years when they did not have a home grown front runner. Of course with Lewis Hamilton the interest will increase a lot for this year’s race, but the atmosphere has always been good. During the test I found the circuit extraordinarily bumpy, and apparently other drivers thought the same. The English weather can also add to the excitement. The sequence of the corners at Becketts is very fast and very special. For Silverstone it is especially important to have a good aero package for the fast corners.“
Robert Kubica ”Silverstone, I think, will be a good weekend for us. I hope so. Last year we were quite strong. I like the track as it is very challenging. Very quick, especially the first sector. Last year it was quite low grip there. I missed the test session this year, so it will be interesting to see how it is on Bridgestone tyres. The British weather is well known all over the world for not being very good. However, every time I have been at Silverstone for the race I have had a really sunny weekend, so let’s hope it will be nice weather again. It is nice to be there because I like the style of the track and British people enjoy motor racing. It is not the newest one, but I like the whole atmosphere that surrounds it and you feel there is a lot of motorsport history at the circuit.”
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director ”At the mid point of the season, Formula One is restless. After the back-to-back races in North America and a test session in Silverstone, we are now in the middle of the next double header in Europe. Just one week after the French Grand Prix we have the next race on Sunday in Great Britain. Four races within five weeks mean an enormous work load for everybody in the team. Hats off to the team – I have to say.
“We used the recent test in Silverstone to focus on race preparation fort this track. Now the first half of the season is almost over and up to now we can be more than happy with our achievements. We want to continue in this way and also improve.
“Britain is the only market for the BMW Group which has production facilities for all three of the Group’s brands. The MINI is built in Oxford, Rolls-Royce cars in Goodwood and BMW car engines in Hams Hall. Great Britain is the third-largest market for the BMW Group after the USA and Germany.“
Willy Rampf, Technical Director “Silverstone is renowned for its many medium and fast corners, where drivers have to carry as much speed as possible into the straights. In the infield there are also some very slow corners. Silverstone is a very challenging circuit.
“Maggots-Becketts-Chapel is perhaps one of the finest combinations in the entire F1 calendar. To set a fast lap time here you need a car with an excellent aerodynamic balance. The track surface is pretty rough and, together with the high cornering speeds, this puts a lot of stress on the tyres. Accordingly the tyre compounds are relatively hard.”
