BMW Sauber F1.08 unveiled in Munich.
 The
BMW Sauber F1 Team took delivery of the fastest car in the
BMW range at BMW Welt in Munich today (Monday). The team was
presented with the BMW Sauber F1.08 against the futuristic
backdrop of the brand’s new vehicle delivery centre.
The presentation, which took place before an audience of several
hundred media representatives from around the world, included
a spectacular cameo from Nick Heidfeld. As the longest-serving
F1 driver in the BMW ranks, the German took the new car for
a spin inside the vast building. The serious testing, however,
will begin tomorrow (Tuesday) with the roll-out of the car
at the Valencia race circuit in Spain. The BMW Sauber F1.08
is eye-catching with its imposing front wing and extremely
slim rear, and boasts a wealth of innovative technology
The BMW Sauber F1 Team has completed its development phase,
motivation is strong and its plans are ambitious: in what
will be its third season on the Formula One grid the team
is aiming to close the gap to the leading teams and has targeted
a first race win. “We’re setting our sights high,”
admits BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen, “and
we’ll have to make further improvements in all areas
to achieve what we want to. However, the past two years have
instilled confidence within the team. We met our goals in
both 2006 and 2007, we are heading in the right direction,
and everybody in Munich and Hinwil is focused on the job in
hand. If we continue our progress along this path we will
also fulfil our aims for 2008.”
The team will take on the challenge with the same race drivers
as in 2007 – Germany’s Nick Heidfeld (30) and
his Polish team-mate Robert Kubica (23) will be at the wheel
of the BMW Sauber F1.08 for the 18 grands prix which make
up the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship. The team will
not name a test driver until the end of January.
“It is generally very difficult to define expectations
and make prognoses. But I hope that our plan works out and
we are able to win our first race in 2008,“ said Heidfeld,
who once again accounted for the largest share of the points
earned by the team in 2007 and finished on the podium twice.
“I expect us to move forward in all areas – particularly
as far as reliability is concerned – and to learn from
our mistakes. This development process is essential in what
we’re trying to achieve.”
And Kubica adds: “I will also be looking to achieve
greater consistency in my results during my second full season
in Formula One. Retirements and that crash in Canada –
which also prevented me from starting in the USA – cost
me points in 2007. We all need to take further steps forward
in 2008 and make maximum use of every opportunity that presents
itself.”
Theissen holds his two drivers in high regard: “In
Nick and Robert we have a strong and evenly matched duo. For
our young team, which in 2006 and 2007 had to drive forward
its development in terms of structure and personnel alongside
its World Championship campaign, consistency is also a great
asset. We know that these two drivers will get the maximum
out of the machinery we give them. The F1.07 was a good car,
so on this basis the F1.08 should be even better.”
The new BMW Sauber F1.08
For Technical Director Willy Rampf the philosophy behind
the race car for the 2008 season boils down to what he calls
“evolutionary new development”. In other words,
last year’s car already provided the engineers with
a sound basis for the BMW Sauber F1.08, and they did not have
to spend time correcting faults. Instead they were able to
use knowledge gained over the course of the 2007 season and
channel their energies into the development of innovations
which build on this basis
The engineers’ development work focused on achieving
a high level of aerodynamic efficiency coupled with a stable
aero balance: the lower the loss of downforce through corners,
the faster the car can travel and the greater the confidence
it gives the driver. Other development aims included improving
mechanical grip in order to make the best possible use of
the standard tyres and reducing the weight of various components
to allow maximum use of ballast in optimising weight distribution
A particularly eye-catching feature of the F1.08 is the mighty
front wing. Having said that, the car’s nose has actually
slimmed down – in equal measure to the rear end. The
narrower engine cover has been designed with all-new extra
wing elements. Another new and immediately noticeable feature
are the hub caps, or “rim shields”.
Two changes to the regulations have had a major effect on
the construction of the cars for the 2008 season: the introduction
of standardised electronics (SECU) and the new running time
stipulation for the gearboxes (developed in Munich), which
must now endure over four grands prix. Since the SECU does
not allow for traction control, among other functions, mechanical
grip and sensitive accelerator control will gain in importance.
“The data which the F1.08 has delivered ahead of its
roll-out is extremely promising,” says Rampf. “The
development work will continue at full speed up to the start
of the new season. Indeed, another aero package will be added
to the F1.08 at the forthcoming test, and this will also alter
the external appearance of the car once again.”
Development phase reaches its conclusion
The BMW Sauber F1 Team was consistently the third-strongest
team in 2007 and finished the season in second place in the
standings following the exclusion of McLaren Mercedes from
the Constructors’ World Championship. The team completed
its debut season of 2006 in fifth place in the World Championship.
Its drivers recorded two podium finishes in each of its first
two years – three third places and one second place.
Alongside the unrelenting schedule of the race and testing
calendar, the BMW Sauber F1 Team also had to focus on the
development of the team in terms of personnel and logistics
during its first two years on the grid. Rigorous expansion
work has been carried out at its Hinwil base near Zurich since
BMW took over the team on 1st January 2006. With its workforce
having grown by some 150 people, the team moved into the new
extension to the Swiss plant in late 2007. The development
and construction of the entire powertrain still takes place
in Munich – under the watchful eye of Markus Duesmann
– next door to the BMW Research and Innovation Centre
(FIZ).
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