Nobody in the team envisaged this start to the season
By BMW Sauber F1
April 27 2009
In this edition of Track Talk, BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen explains how the BMW Sauber F1 Team is aiming to get back on track as quickly as possible.
Dear motor racing enthusiasts,
The weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix brought the first long overseas
section of the Formula One season to an end. The race in the Sakhir
desert was as good as over for us as soon as our drivers were involved
in collisions immediately after the start. With four races down, we are
now looking forward to the start of the European leg in Barcelona. The
Spanish Grand Prix in two weeks will be a new beginning for many teams
- including ours.
Following positive winter tests, nobody in the team envisaged this
start to the season. We are far from happy with our performance. We are
far from where we want to be, and are not measuring up to our own
standards at the moment. The entire package is too slow.
We are taking a positive approach to this challenge. Our goal is to
make the car competitive as quickly as possible. Whilst under great
pressure, the team is pulling together in Munich and Hinwil, and is
working determinedly and systematically to find a solution. I am
convinced that the planned development steps will haul us out of this
disappointing situation.
We will line up on the grid in Barcelona with a comprehensive
development package, and have planned a series of additional steps
throughout the current season. The package is not yet set in stone,
with different variants still being tested in the wind tunnel. We are
expecting a significant improvement in performance. We must then wait
and see how we stand in relation to the other teams.
This situation is unfamiliar to everyone in the team. Since it was
formed three years ago, the team has continuously been on the up. Since
2006, we have reached, and even surpassed our own ambitious objectives.
We have gradually worked our way to the top. However, things do not
always go in your favour in sport. It is absolutely no consolation that
other highly-regarded teams are in a similar position to ours. We must
now show just how strong the team is. I am convinced we will get back
on track.
Sincerely
Mario Theissen
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Quote:The package is not yet set in stone, with different variants still being tested in the wind tunnel.
I'll add that De la Rosa said as well, that Mclaren still had 1 week in the windtunnel (which is "ages" in terms of development) for preparing the final Barcelona package
Racing against the machine!
Q: What's happening with BMW? At the start of the season you were quick, and now after four races you're at the back.
Theissen: "In Melbourne our car was very good, Robert could have even won there. We weren't the quickest, but we could fight. Apparently the other teams are making big steps forward race by race, while we're concentrating on the significant Barcelona update. I can only hope it will work."
Q: Are you dissapointed with today's result?
Theissen:"There is no that much disappointment within the team, because already after qualifying we knew we couldn't count on much. Even if we had a perfect race today, with everybody making it to the chequered flag we would have been 10th at best."
Q: Are you not surprised with today's result?
Theissen:"Already in Shanghai we knew that the other teams had leapfrogged us. The competition is very tight, so even if you're losing 0.3-0.5s, it's a big gap. I expect the rest of the season to be very tough."
Q: Was waiting with the updates a mistake?
Theissen:"I think we have to wait for the Barcelona package. If it's successful, it will turn out that it was a good decision. With the hindsight of the first four races, we can say it would have been better to upgrade the car on a race-by-race basis. But we made the decision to make the Barcelona package a really well-rounded one."
Q: What do you expect in Barcelona?
Theissen:"That our car will be much stronger. I don't know what the other teams are bringing there though, but they will have some new parts as well."
Q: What's the team's goal now?
Theissen:"To make the car competitive as quickly as possible, and then we'll see."
Q: Do you still hope to fight for wins this year?
Theissen:"Taking our current position into account it may sound strange, but in the first four qualifyings three different teams were dominating, and then two of them won their first race. So the changes in the pecking order are frequent and significant. I believe there is still a chance to catch up with the leaders."
Q: What went wrong with the work on the F1.09?
Theissen: "Two months ago in the Bahrain test we were as quick as Ferrari and quicker than Toyota. It seems like they improved their cars more effectively. That's how the situation looks."
source: f1.pl
Racing against the machine!
No one is perfect or free from errors but to overpass such difficult moments filters out the goods from the bads. I believe in my team and I'm 100% behind it, no matter what the results will be. I'm optimistic for a certain extent... we'll be back to our form, 3rd best team at most.
BMW Power
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