World class: inside and outside the cockpit

It goes without saying that you need two good drivers in Formula One if, like the BMW Sauber F1 Team, you want to mix it with the best. However, the F1 project in Munich and Hinwil also boasts over 700 experts who are all among the best in the world in their specific fields.

For drivers and engineers alike, Formula One is the highest class of motorsport, in which they can demonstrate their talents. The demands made on the engineers that accompany the BMW Sauber F1 Team to all 18 races are particularly high.

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen confirms: "In Formula One our team of engineers is continuously confronted by technology of the highest order. This continues to develop at a relentless pace. Their endeavours regularly go on public display, and every fortnight the engineers receive critical feedback about the effectiveness of their own work." This is unique in the world of engineering.

For this reason, young drivers are not the only ones to be meticulously trained by BMW in order to cope with the immense demands of Formula One in the future. The rise to the elite class is also step-by-step for engineers. "Here we are also committed to ensuring the growth of the team's key players," says Theissen. "We employ young, ambitious engineers and then team them up with experienced people in order to assist them in reaching Formula One."

In this context, the BMW Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ) in Munich plays a particularly important role. Here, experts work together with BMW series experts to develop new ideas and solutions for yet more driving pleasure. This know-how filters through to the Formula One project. Theissen explains: "It is not a one-way street. Just as FIZ employees are transferred to the Formula One team, so Formula One team personnel can go the other way."