We will be back to our old form - Rampf

The Grand Prix weekend in Great Britain begins this Friday with the first free practice. Willy Rampf, Technical Director of the BMW Sauber F1 Team, describes the venue for the ninth race of the season: the "Silverstone Circuit".

"Anyone wanting to clock a fast lap in Silverstone needs a car with an excellent aerodynamic balance," says Rampf. "The circuit is characterised by its many medium-quick and quick turns, which the drivers must exit with as much speed as possible."

In Rampf's opinion, the Maggots-Becketts-Chapel sequence of turns is "one of the nicest combinations in the entire calendar." The rough track surface means that high demands are placed on the tyres. "For this reason we will be using the hardest compounds here," says the German.

After the rather disappointing result at French Grand Prix in Magny-Cours, where Robert Kubica finished fifth while Nick Heidfeld struggled in 13th place, Rampf is hoping that Silverstone will signal a return to the kind of form that had brought the team such success over the first seven races of the 2008 Formula One season. "Of course we want to prove in England that we under-performed in Magny-Cours," says Rampf. "We made some interesting discoveries while testing in Silverstone, and I am certain we will be back to our old form."