Australian GP: The situation prior to the Race

By BMW Sauber F1 Team
March 15 2008

In the qualifying session for the Australian Grand Prix, the BMW Sauber F1 Team gained an excellent initial position for starting successfully in the 2008 Formula One season, this Sunday. Here, we have compiled several interesting statistics data... .

- In Melbourne, Robert Kubica celebrated the best qualifying result of his career to date. The Pole qualified second, thus securing a position on the first row of the starting grid.

- In combination with the fifth grid position clinched by Nick Heidfeld on the 'Albert Park Circuit', this was the best BMW Sauber F1 Team performance ever witnessed by the Formula One enthusiast in a qualifying session since the Munich and Hinwil based squad made its GP debut, in 2006.

- On the grid for the race that will start on Sunday at 15.30hrs local time (04.30hrs BT), Robert will share the first row of the grid with Lewis Hamilton (McLaren). Nick will start next to Toyota's Jarno Trulli, from row three.

- Nick's best position on the starting grid for an Australian GP remains the third position he had secured last year, on the 5.303-kilometre track.

- In the team-internal qualifying battle of the two BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers, Robert now holds a 1:0 lead over Nick.

- This Saturday's qualifying represented the 21st consecutive time that both BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers made it to the crucial top-ten qualifying.

- Last year, in his maiden Australian Grand Prix, Robert had to retire from seventh position due to a technical failure. Nick contested eight F1 races "down under", finished four of them and three times (2001, 2006, 2007), he crossed the finish line in fourth position.

- The start into this Sunday's race will be particularly thrilling. It will be the first time for several years that the drivers have to start into a Formula One race without relying on a traction control. "The start will be an unpredictable affair," confirms Nick. "It's a new situation for all the drivers."

 Saturday facts & stats:

- Promising venue: Having secured third and fifth grid positions, the BMW Sauber F1 Team had already delivered in great style in the qualifying for last year's Australian Grand Prix. And this year, Melbourne once again turned out to be a promising venue for the team: with Robert's second position and Nick's fifth place, the team has achieved the best qualifying result in its history to date.

- Cooler: Unlike Friday, when the drivers had to cope with temperatures of nearly 40° C, conditions for the Saturday sessions were clearly more agreeable: 23° C during the practice session in the morning and 25° C during the qualifying session.

- Track open for public traffic: Overnight on Friday, parts of the Albert Park Circuit were open for public traffic. Consequently, in the third free practice session the drivers had to cope with deteriorated track conditions because of the dirty tarmac.

- New numbers: On the first race weekend of the 2008 Formula One season, the BMW Sauber F1 Team racing cars bear the lowest numbers in the team's short history. Nick Heidfeld races with the number three on his BMW Sauber F1.08 and Robert with the four. The 2007 season was contested by Nick with the number nine while Robert's BMW Sauber F1.07 was decorated with the number ten. In 2006, the numbers assigned to the BMW Sauber F1 Team were, 16 - for Nick - and 17 for Robert and Jacques Villeneuve.

- Four times Formula BMW: For the first time in the history of Formula One, four former Formula BMW drivers will contest a season as Grand Prix regulars: Sebastian Vettel, Timo Glock, Adrian Sutil and Nico Rosberg.

- 811.36 kilometres: The two BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers have already covered a massive mileage prior to the start of the Australian Grand Prix. In the free practice sessions and qualifying, Nick and Robert completed 153 laps.