Kent BMW Formula 1 News

Kent BMW Formula 1 News (Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang)

In the humid heat of Sepang the BMW Sauber F1 Team scored 11 championship points - the best result for the young crew so far. All reactions...

Robert Kubica: "It's a fantastic day for the team, for Petronas and for me - the second consecutive podium. After Monza 2006 I finally managed to get another podium myself. I want to thank everybody in the team who worked very hard over the last two months to improve the car. I didn't have a good start because of too much wheel spin, and was fighting with Nick and Jarno Trulli. I took the dirty inside line and almost lost the car, but somehow I managed to get through the corner and overtake them. From this moment on I drove at my own pace. The Ferraris were too quick, but I was able to increase the gap from the cars following me. After the second pit stop I reduced the revs to save the engine and took it easy. I didn't feel very well all weekend and it was very hot in the car, so the last ten laps were pretty tough. But it all paid off with a brilliant result."

Nick Heidfeld: "I have mixed emotions about today's race. Of course I'm happy to have clocked up my first fastest race lap in F1, and 11 points are also the best ever result for our team. The pace of the car was really, really good - about the same level as the McLaren. That's all very positive and makes it even more disappointing that I only finished sixth. My start was very good and then I tried to overtake right on the outside in the first corner. Robert was on the inside, and Jarno Trulli was between us - I just ran out of room. It was a try, but it didn't work out. I picked up some dirt and lost two more positions on the first lap. At least I got them back when I overtook David Coulthard and Fernando Alonso on lap four. Again our pit crew did a very good job."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): "This was another good performance for our team. Robert was able to establish himself behind the Ferrari right after the start. He drove a very strong race and claimed not only his second podium, but also his best result in F1. Nick had no luck in the first corner and lost some positions. I regard it as a success that he still managed to finish sixth and also clocked up the fastest race lap. Of course we are very pleased with the early days of the season - two podiums in two races, 19 nice points to our account and 11 points in one go is a new record for us. That's all very positive and a good basis for the next races."

Willy Rampf (Technical Director): "The second second place in a row, fastest race lap, thanks to Nick, and eleven points - we are very pleased how this season has started for us. It was another fantastic race for us. Only the Ferrari was faster than Robert today, and I am especially happy for him that all went so well after he had a lot of bad luck in Australia. While Robert was able to gain a place at the start, Nick unfortunately lost a few. Later he managed to come back and executed a very fine overtaking manoeuvre by catching two cars at once. We had no technical problems on either car, the performance was again very strong. Now highly motivated we fly back to Hinwil and Munich and look forward to the coming races."

Premieres and Stunning Manoeuvres

The 2008 Formula One season kicked off with two brilliant races in Australia and Malaysia. And it is already apparent that the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers will be the ones making positive headlines this year.

In the first two rounds of the 2008 season, the BMW Sauber F1 Team scored a total of 19 points - nine more than in the first two races of the 2007 season. At Sepang, Robert secured the very first runner-up finish of his career, thus repeating Nick's achievement in Melbourne. To cut a long story short: the Munich and Hinwil based squad can be proud of having made a truly impressive start to the season.

Therefore, it doesn't come as a surprise that the drivers have reached a positive conclusion following the Malaysian GP. "I'm delighted with finally having claimed my second podium finish after Monza 2006," said Robert. "In Australia I had to cope with a dose of bad luck, but this time everything went perfectly. The team did a fantastic job."

Nick added: "I didn't expect that we would be able to match the pace of the McLarens in Malaysia, and even be slightly faster than them in the closing stages of the race. Compared to the off-season tests, we have made a huge leap."

While Robert stepped into the limelight at Sepang by finishing runner-up and even having been race leader for eight laps, Nick also made for some highlights during the course of the 56-lap race. "Overtaking Alonso and Coulthard at the same time, in the opening stages of the race, was really big fun," the 30-year old admitted. "For me, this was the crucial move on the way to securing the best possible result after having lost several positions due to the close encounter with Trulli."

On the penultimate lap, the German demonstrated what he could have achieved without this incident: he lapped the 5:543-kilometre "Sepang International Circuit" in 1:35.366 minutes, thus setting the fastest race lap. It was the first time he could do so in the 136 GPs he has contested to date - and also represented a 'premiere' for the BMW Sauber F1 Team.To find out more about the new BMW Performance Range click here

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