Mixed feelings for BMW
The BMW Sauber F1 Team has achieved its fifth podium in its short career. Nick Heidfeld came second at the Australian Grand Prix. Team mate Robert Kubica, who had started from second and lay in fifth position in the race, was unlucky when another car crashed into the rear of the Pole’s car at a restart.
Nick Heidfeld: 2nd
BMW Sauber F1.08-04 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1.27.739 min on lap 41 (3rd fastest overall)
“This was a fantastic start to the season for us. The team was working extremely hard to solve the problems we had in the beginning with the F1.08. We made constant progress and we have not exploited the full potential of the car yet. At the start I had too much wheel spin and could not keep Nico Rosberg behind me. I thought it is going to become a difficult race because I expected him to pit earlier. But we stopped on the same lap and our crew did a really great job to get me in front of him. With my second pit stop I was lucky that the safety car didn’t come out earlier and I could refuel as planned. In the last stint I had to take care not to kill the option tyres. Overall the first race without traction control was less difficult than expected.“
Robert Kubica: DNF
BMW Sauber F1.08-03 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1.28.753 min on lap 15 (9th fastest overall)
“My race went pretty well in the beginning. I was on a similar strategy to Nick and I had a good pace. Then the strategy was changed and this did not pay off for me. I got stuck behind Bourdais and lost a lot of time. I still had a chance to score some points, but then at the end of the third safety car period Nakajima crashed into the rear of my car and I had to stop.”
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director: “This was a fantastic start to the new season for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. In a turbulent race with three safety car periods and numerous retirements, Nick kept cool and finished second, achieving the first podium of the season for the team. Only Lewis Hamilton was quicker. This was a real strategy game. Nick was somewhat lucky with the safety car periods, Robert was unfortunately unlucky. Towards the end, Nakajima pushed him off the track. Up to this point he had driven a strong race after his fantastic qualifying yesterday. Together with our qualifying performance on Saturday, this is a good basis for the next races. This was a motivation boost for the whole team. A big thank you to all our colleagues in Munich and Hinwil.“
Willy Rampf, Technical Director: “This was an exciting race which generated mixed feelings. It’s fantastic that Nick clinched second place, but at the same time I’m sorry for Robert who had an unlucky race. At the start Nick was overtaken by Nico Rosberg, but thanks to the fantastic work of the pit crew, he was able to overtake him in the pits. From that moment on he drove a fast and consistent pace. He finally benefitted from the third safety car period, and equalled the best result of the team so far. We changed Robert’s strategy during the second safety car period, but unfortunately he got stuck behind Bourdais and lost a lot of time. After Nakajima had crashed into the rear of his car, he stopped for safety reasons.“
