BMW Sauber scores 1 point in evenful Singapore race

By BMW Sauber F1 Team
September 27 2009

The BMW Sauber F1 Team walked away with one championship point from the floodlit 2009 Singapore Grand Prix. Robert Kubica took the chequered flag at the "Marina Bay Circuit" in eighth. His team-mate, Nick Heidfeld, was forced out of the race after a collision on lap 21.

Nick had to start the 14th race of the season from the pit lane. After qualifying the team noted that wrong weight ballasts had been installed on the German's BMW Sauber F1.09. Therefore the BMW Sauber F1 Team corrected this mistake, this meant Nick lost his seventh place on the grid and had to start from the pits. The crew took this opportunity to fit the F1.09 with a new engine and gearbox. Robert took over seventh on the grid from his team-mate.

The Pole was put under pressure from Brawn's Rubens Barrichello directly after the start and had to let the Brazilian pass after the first combination of corners. However, Robert was able to successfully fend off an assault from Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) and kept eighth. Nick's Singapore GP only started after the entire field had passed the pits. When Renault's Romain Grosjean retired on lap 4, the 32-year-old improved to 19th.

On the following laps Nick was stuck in traffic. Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) defended 14th in a tough duel against Force India's Adrian Sutil - and none of the drivers behind could go at their maximum pace. Just after Nick gained two places following the other drivers' pit stops, his race came to an early end: Sutil launched an overtaking manoeuvre on Alguersuari, but failed. The German spun and hit the right rear wheel of Nick's F1.09. With a broken suspension the BMW Sauber F1 Team driver was forced to give up. This was his first retirement in 42 races.

Due to this accident the safety-car was deployed for five laps. Following his first pit stop on lap 21 Robert was running in tenth when the race action resumed. When Nico Rosberg (Williams) came in for a drive-through penalty, Robert moved to ninth, back in reach of a points' finish.

Over a number of laps the 24-year-old put Mark Webber (Red Bull) under pressure for eighth, but there was just no chance of a successful move on this tight street circuit. From ninth Robert came in for his second scheduled stop and rejoined in 12th. Following Webber's retirement and after gaining one place due to the pit stop of another driver, he now had Jarno Trulli (Toyota) in front of him. But the Italian pitted on lap 52, putting Robert in ninth, about five seconds adrift of eighth-placed Kovalainen. When Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen also came into the pits a lap later, the BMW Sauber F1 Team driver improved to eighth - which he defended until the chequered flag came out.

He now has nine points under his belt, while Nick remains on 12 points. At the top of the drivers' standings things remain relatively unchanged: McLaren's Lewis Hamilton took a victory ahead of Timo Glock (Toyota) and Fernando Alonso (Renault). The three title contenders, Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello (both Brawn) followed in fourth, fifth and sixth.