We have a lot more in the pipeline - Theissen

Two days after the BMW Sauber F1 Team's home Grand Prix at Hockenheim, BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen reflects on the weekend. The Hinwil-based outfit is confident that they are on the right track.

Mario Theissen "A home Grand Prix is always a bit special. Although there are no extra points on offer for a win, but this weekend in Hockenheim was very special for us: the BMW Group was in action on several fronts at the same time during the German Grand Prix weekend. Formula One, Formula BMW, MINI Challenge, BMW M1 Procar Revival, plus lots of other activities and events on and off the track, involving many guests, deadlines and obligations - our schedule has never been so jam packed.

"Of course, the main focus was on Formula One. Any team starting from grid positions seven and twelve, and heading home with seven points can be very satisfied. It goes without saying that the safety-car phase had a considerable influence on the race. While Robert lost his strong fourth place as a result, Nick actually benefited. Both drivers were error-free throughout the race. I am delighted for Nick that he clocked the fastest lap. Despite this, however, we still have a lot of work to do to make sure we are starting from the front again.

"We started the second half of the season by picking up just one point less than we did at the first race of the season in Australia in March. We left Melbourne with eight points. We ended the first half of the season two weeks ago, in Silverstone, in second place in the Constructors' Championship on 82 points. Don't forget: the 2007 season yielded 101 points for us in total. So, one thing is clear: we are on the right track, and we want to stay on this track right through to the season finale in Brazil.

"We will face great challenges on the way. It goes without saying that we will continue to work intensively on the BMW Sauber F1.08 until the final overseas races. Some developments will be big successes, others will not. This will, in turn, affect the results on the track. These are the completely normal ups and downs that a team experiences throughout the course of a season. I can promise you one thing: we have a lot more in the pipeline.

"At the same time, we are developing the F1.09. The fundamental changes to the rules for next season mean that we cannot simply further develop an existing car. Next year's car must be a completely new one. The key question for us is: how do we divide our resources between this year's car and next year's? This will be decided each week on a project basis, and we will distribute our capacity accordingly. Of course, we could do with more people working in the field of aerodynamics during this current phase. In an ideal world, we would be developing two completely different cars at the same time from April to September. However, this is unrealistic. For this reason, we will get by with the capacity that we have at the moment.

"For the employees in Munich and Hinwil, this means a busy summer and early autumn. However, the success we have achieved in two and a half years is just reward for the work we have put in. I am certain that we will not only have more good reason to celebrate this season, but that we will also be well equipped for 2009."