Tight field and new pecking order unexpected admits Theissen

By BMW Sauber F1
May 22 2009

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen talks about the impact of the new regulations on the balance of power on the Formula One grid. And according to the German, the impact is particularly significant in qualifying.

"We've got a new pecking order - and that's something that came as a surprise," says Theissen. "But it's far more important that the entire field has moved extremely close together, performance-wise. That's the exact opposite of what most people expected to happen due to the new regulations."

The new and extreme competitiveness of the field can be witnessed best in qualifying, adds the BMW Motorsport Director. "Nobody can feel safe. You see that nearly every team uses two sets of fresh soft tyres in the first knockout phase of qualifying to make sure of advancing to Q2. That's a scenario nobody had expected and that we haven't seen in the past ten years."

On Saturday from 14:00hrs, motor-racing fans can look forward to the sixth thrilling qualifying session of the 2009 season. At that time, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld will go out on the "Circuit de la Principauté" to secure the best possible positions on the grid for their BMW Sauber F1 Team. The first two practice sessions were held on Thursday as Formula One traditionally takes a break on the Friday of the Monaco GP weekend.