Monaco, a tough test for gearbox

The BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers will change gear over 4000 times at the Monaco Grand Prix. The BMW G1.08 gearbox will really be put through its paces. New regulations introduced at the start of the 2008 season stipulate that a Formula One gearbox must last at least four race weekends in succession.

In view of the extreme workload and numerous gear changes that this sensitive component is subjected to, this was a welcome pre-season challenge for the BMW Sauber F1 Team's drive engineers.

Their response was the BMW G1.08 gearbox. It has been designed to make a decisive difference on the racetrack. Where conventional transmissions inherently interrupted the power surge of the engine for approximately 50 milliseconds whilst its gears were changed, the BMW G1.08 permits seamless shifting. The result is that Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica are now able to use the full power of the BMW P86/8 engine throughout the race - even whilst changing gears. "When you accelerate out of corners you lose little or no torque", says Robert. "Due to seamless transmissions helping enormously in reducing lap times, all teams now fit them."

The BMW G1.08 is indispensable in Monaco, with over 4000 gear changes required per race. Compared to conventional gearboxes, the quick-shift gearbox will allow Nick and Robert to gain several seconds over the course of the 78 laps of the "Circuit de la Principauté". This can be decisive in the fast world of Formula One.