BMW Sauber F1 Team - Bahrain GP - Preview
1st of 18 World Championship rounds
Preview.
Munich/Hinwil, 3 March 2006. The big day is fast approaching:
the Formula One World Championship season is about to take
off - and with it the new BMW Sauber F1 Team. Drivers Nick
Heidfeld (GER), Jacques Villeneuve (CAN) and Robert Kubica
(POL), who as test and reserve driver will be at the wheel
of the third BMW Sauber F1.06 in free practice on Fridays,
are all poised in the starting blocks.
BMW had announced a major shift in its Formula One involvement
on 22 June 2005. 262 days later, on Sunday, 12 March 2006,
the first BMW-run Formula One team will celebrate its premiere.
17 January saw the roll-out in Valencia of the first BMW
Sauber F1.06 powered by a BMW P86 V8 engine. Since 8 February,
the second new chassis has been undergoing testing. The BMW
Sauber F1.06 has completed 20 days of testing in Barcelona,
Imola, Jerez and Valencia. All three drivers have piloted
the new car, clocking a total of 9,950 test kilometres.
Nick Heidfeld:
“Bahrain is hosting the curtain-raiser for the first
time. That’s something very special, and I think it
will be reflected in the atmosphere of the event. They say
ticket sales are high. What’s special about the circuit
is quite simply that it’s in the desert. It means the
track surface is always very sandy and dirty at the start,
which results in very little grip. Lap times only improve
gradually. Record temperatures such as the 42 Celsius we had
last year are probably not on the cards for 2006, so the race
won’t be quite such a strain.
The Bahrain circuit is an average to high-speed track. It
demands high aerodynamic efficiency and a good engine for
the long straight. We did a lot of testing over the winter
and I feel pretty confident. I’m desperately looking
forward to my first race after a long gap and I can’t
wait to see what the competition is like. It’s hard
to make any predictions, but my guess is that Renault and
Honda will be in the lead to start with, possibly followed
by McLaren and Ferrari, and then a group of closely bunched
teams. We will probably be in with that group.”
Jacques Villeneuve:
“Bahrain is one of the hottest races of the year, and
on top of that the first race is always the hardest one physically.
So for sure it will be tough for the drivers and for the cars.
Some teams have been testing on the Bahrain track recently,
which means that they will have a big advantage. The track
itself is fun and not too physical muscularly. We will cope
with the heat, we are ready for that.
We have done a lot of winter testing, much more than one
year ago, which is very positive. However, it’s time
to start. I’m really looking forward to the first race,
because this is what it’s all about.”
Robert Kubica:
“I’m looking forward to a very, very interesting
weekend. It will certainly be a steep learning curve for me,
but it also means attending a race for the first time since
1995 without actually taking part. I know ten of the 18 grand
prix circuits – all the European ones plus Sao Paulo.
That means I’ve got three new circuits lined up right
from the start. So far I’ve always managed to learn
the circuits easily. I only know the Bahrain track from television
and computer games, which I really enjoy, although they hardly
teach you more than the track layout.
I’m really looking forward to my new task and will
do everything I can to provide the team with valuable information.
I’ll be learning a lot, not just in terms of the car
and driving: I will also experience how the team operates
on a GP weekend.”
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
“Since the starting shot was fired for the new BMW Sauber
F1 Team, eight months have passed. In this short development
time we have been working very efficiently. We have integrated
the Munich and Hinwil sites, got the expansion project under
way, signed up our drivers, found strong partners and sponsors,
got an interim vehicle up and running and then the BMW Sauber
F1.06. After an intensive winter testing programme, our drivers
have given the car the thumbs up. The engineers are also convinced
that a major leap has been made compared to the previous year.
We can say that things are looking good at this stage of development.
What our achievements so far will look like on the race track
we don’t yet know. We aren’t expecting any miracles
to happen; we just want to make the most of our possibilities
and advance step by step.
In terms of the technical regulations, the switch from V10
to V8 engines is the biggest change. Along with all the other
engine manufacturers, that is going to keep us on our toes
beyond the start of the season. In the first grand prix races
in particular, reliability will play a crucial role.
From a commercial point of view, Formula One’s move
to the Middle East is a welcome one in particular for BMW
as a premium manufacturer. In 2005, BMW recorded a growth
in sales of around 25 percent in Bahrain. The whole team is
looking forward to Bahrain and being able to take first stock.”
Willy Rampf, Technical Director Chassis:
“During our winter test drives, we notched up almost
10,000 kilometres with the BMW Sauber F1.06. Now things are
getting quite exciting because we all want to know how we
measure up to the competition. On the Saturday after qualifying
in Bahrain we will have a first important indicator. The new
regulations, which allow for tyre changes again, will place
a far greater focus on preparations for qualifying. Last year
it was tyre consistency over the entire race distance that
was crucially important; now performance in qualifying has
returned to the forefront.
Robert Kubica will play an important role as our number three
driver. On Friday morning he will already be able to make
the first comparisons and feed us valuable information with
regard to tyre choice. In Bahrain we will be driving the car
in hot temperatures for the first time, which will put the
hardware under considerable strain. With the return of tyre
changing, the race will once more present a bigger challenge
for the team as a whole. That includes the strategists, who
will again have far more freedom in plotting the race tactics
thanks to the rule changes. Whereas in 2005 lap times speeded
up towards the end of each stint, we will now be seeing the
best lap times immediately after the pit stops to pick up
fresh tyres. That opens up new possibilities which will inject
the races with an extra dose of excitement.”
Facts and figures:
Circuit/Date: Bahrain International Circuit/12
March 2006
Start time (local/UTC): 14:30 hrs/11:30 hrs
(CET 12:30 hrs)
Lap/Race distance: 5.412 km/308.238 km (57
laps)
Winner 2005: Fernando Alonso (Mild Seven
Renault F1 Team), 1 hr 29:18.531 min
Pole position 2005: Fernando Alonso (Mild
Seven Renault F1 Team), 3:01.902 min (aggregate of 1st and
2nd qualifying)
Fastest lap 2005: Pedro de la Rosa (West
McLaren Mercedes), 1:31.447 min on lap 43
Lap record: Michael Schumacher (Scuderia
Ferrari Marlboro), 1:30.252 min (2004)
History and background:
This year the desert state of Bahrain plays host to the World
Championship curtain-raiser for the first time. 2006 sees
the third consecutive Formula One event held at the circuit
in the city of Sakhir south of the capital Manama.
Bahrain has already caught a whiff of Formula One in 2006.
After several teams had completed their test drives, the “Yalla
Bahrain!” festival was held on 24 February – complete
with air show and fireworks. A variety of racing cars paraded
along King Faisal Highway, Manama’s main embankment.
Among them were two Formula BMW cars, one of them driven by
local hero Mohammed Al Bahrana. The cars came from the BMW
Performance Center that opened here in January 2005. Here,
instruction courses for aspiring young Formula drivers are
held, while it also serves as a centre for BMW Driver Training
for road cars. In December 2005, Bahrain played host to the
first Formula BMW World Final.
The extensive, state-of-the-art complex of the Bahrain International
Circuit (BIC) covers an area of 170 hectares and was designed
by German architect Hermann Tilke. Construction time was 16
months and costs ran to 150 million US dollars. The project
was supported by Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al Khalifa, Bahrain’s
crown prince and a keen motor racing fan. He is also President
of the Bahrain Motor Federation.
70,000 cubic metres of concrete and 8,500 tonnes of steel
went into building the circuit, along with 82,000 tyres and
5,000 metres of FIA fencing to secure the track. The circuit
holds 50,000 spectators, with the grandstand alone accommodating
10,500. There are generous transport links to the track with
exemplary signposting.
Bahrain has five circuit variants, the longest being the
GP course at 5.412 km. The maximum rising gradient is 3.6
percent and the maximum downward gradient 5.6 percent. There
are 15 corners (six left-handers and nine right-handers) and
the start/finish straight is 1,090 metres long.
Bahrain has been an Arab Emirate since gaining independence
from the British in 1971. The kingdom’s head of state
is the Emir, who governs through a cabinet. With a geographical
area of 665 square kilometres, the country is spread across
36 islands off the coast of Saudi Arabia. The capital city
of Manama is on the main island of Bahrain (578 square kilometres).
Oil has been pumped in Bahrain since 1932, but resources
are dwindling. The processing industry as well as rich gas
fields and international banking have taken on a growing economic
role.
The Emirate has a dry desert climate with very mild winters
and hot summers. Last year, the Bahrain Grand Prix was the
hottest race of the year with air temperatures hitting 42
degrees Celsius on the Sunday. Temperatures should be lower
during the 2006 GP, which takes place four weeks earlier.
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