Nick and Robert are equal - Theissen

During the Turkish Grand Prix at the Istanbul Speed Park, the BMW Sauber Formula One Team added nine points to its tally. BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen talks about the fifth race weekend of the year.

Mario Theissen said: "We looked forward to the Turkish Grand Prix. Istanbul is a vibrant metropolis that does not only link Europe and Asia but also features many cultural and historic attractions.

"At the same time, the BMW Sauber F1 Team also had much going for it, for the fans. For the first time this year, we attended a Grand Prix venue with the Pit Lane Park in tow. This high-tech park was erected in the Asian part of Istanbul. Close to the Bosporus, in the popular residential Bostanci. There, our Estonian test driver, Marko Asmer, lapped the Pit Lane Park track at the wheel of our Formula One car. Altogether, more than 25,000 inspired fans attended the Formula One theme park that is even bigger and more innovative than in the past, this year.

"In the race at the "Istanbul Speed Park", we achieved the optimum available from our fifth and ninth grid positions. Having scored nine points on such a challenging track from this poor initial position, we can travel home in a happy mood. Both our drivers gained positions right at the start. Then, during the first set of pit stops, it didn't come as a surprise for us that Robert was passed by Kimi Räikkönen. Nick, on the other hand, gained two positions, with his first long stint. We encountered no technical problems whatsoever and pour pit stops were good, too. Fourth and fifth positions and the nine points scored with these results confirm the previous achievements of our team. Now, we are travelling to the next GP venue, Monaco, in a confident mood.

"Currently, our drivers and their qualifying performances are the topic of many conversations and discussions. I, however, have got a very relaxed point of view regarding this issue. As I see it, Nick and Robert are equal, altogether. Despite completely different approaches, they secure similar results. Nick with his smooth style of driving currently has got problems to get the tyres to working temperature for just one fast qualifying lap. While Robert succeeds in doing so. Last year, the situation was the other way round as it took Robert some time to accustom to the control tyres. In the races, however, Nick uses to make us happy with his spectacular overtaking manoeuvres. Now, we are going to analyse the entire package together with Nick to get to the bottom of the problem."