There is potential, we only need to discover it - Theissen

As the 2007 Formula One season ended, preparations for the new year got underway. BMW Motorsport Director, Mario Theissen, believes there is still room for improvement in the forthcoming season even if the team finished the 2007 season on a rewarding 2nd place with 101 points.

Theissen believes the main emphasis of development work for the team from Munich and Hinwil during the winter break will lie in aerodynamic improvement: "During the second half of the season, in particular, we saw that the leading cars reached much higher top speeds while creating considerable downforce. There is still room for improvement for us in this area. We just need to find it," admits the BMW Motorsport Director.

Following the introduction of the 'unified tyres' of Bridgestone, the pinnacle of motorsports will undergo further regulation changes: In 2008, all Formula One teams will start with a unified electronics system, which, among other things, means the end of traction control.

However, Theissen expects the effect of this change to be minor with regards the overall balance of power. "We expect the cars to move more without traction control. Overall, I believe the ban will have less of an influence than the switch to unified tyres," he says.