<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=487 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=topblack width=465>BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM - GP AUSTRALIA - PRACTICE </TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD class=foot vAlign=top>03/31/2006</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=487 border=0><TBODY><TR height=22 colspan="2"><TD> </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=22></TD><TD class=news width=465>Weather: overcast, dry, 21-23°C Air, 23-27°C Track Melbourne (Aus). In practice for the Australian GP, BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers Robert Kubica, Jacques Villeneuve and Nick Heidfeld finished third, 12th and 15th respectively.

Robert Kubica:
1st Practice: 9th, 1:29.576s / 2nd Practice: 3rd, 1:27.200s
After the engine problem this morning we had a pretty good second session. We tried some promising aero solutions and were able to do consistent times in our long run. On my last outing I had some traffic, otherwise I would have been even quicker, but that is less important in a free practice session.

Jacques Villeneuve:
1st Practice: 3rd, 1:28.595s / 2nd Practice: 12th, 1:28.440s
The car seems to be competitive. One issue so far has been warming up the tyres, which should not be a problem in qualifying now that we can run more than one lap, or in the race, but it will be critical to be competitive then because of the penalty I will get for needing an engine change. That's a pity, because the balance of the car is very good, and I'm really happy with its speed.

Nick Heidfeld:
1st Practice: No time / 2nd Practice: 15th, 1:29.053s
I don't like these Friday sessions so much. This morning I just did an installation lap, and this afternoon just one outing with only a few laps. However, the car wasn't too bad and was definitely better than the lap time suggests; I had traffic in the second sector and there were yellow flags in the third.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
Robert had to stop the first practice prematurely due to an engine failure after 13 laps. Our whole focus is on reliability, but the time for development was too short. Over the winter our test engines of identical-specification covered the required distances without problem. However, our investigations into the breakages units after Bahrain and Malaysia revealed that some components have not met their required production tolerances. Our short-term reaction has been to build new engines with hand-selected components that best meet these rigorous requirements. We have two of these revised engines here. One is already installed in Nick's car, and Jacques will get the second in time for qualifying after Saturday's morning practice session. As a result he will lose 10 positions on the grid.

Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis):
Apart from the engine problems, I'm quite happy with the performance that we demonstrated today. Robert did the tyre evaluation but also concentrated on set-up work, particularly for qualifying. Jacques focused on race preparation, while Nick just did a baseline run.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Courtesy of BMW

Hrm, I wasn't even aware Kubica was going to be racing. Hopefully no major motor issues.

Has Ferrari's aerodynamic issue been addressed?

Hrm, I wasn't even aware Kubica was going to be racing. Hopefully no major motor issues.


One is already installed in Nick's car, and Jacques will get the second in time for qualifying after Saturday's morning practice session. As a result he will lose 10 positions on the grid.

Kubica won't be racing, but I think that he should. He ran some of the quickest times out there. One of them was on the lap just after he came out of the pits.
Jake
P.S. When is the race on, again?

I believe 10:30pm saturday night.....and again sunday at 12:30pm :D

Remember, the Friday cars only have to last Friday's practice. It's a chance for the teams to try new things and to really press the engines. Not saying Kubica (or Davidson for that matter) aren't fast, but I think they have a bit of an advantage in that they don't have to baby the car.

Weather: showers, then drying, 16-19°C Air, 15-28°C Track Melbourne (AUS).

After Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve set the best times in the third practice session this morning, they finished qualifying for the Australian GP in eighth and ninth positions respectively. However, Jacques will lose 10 grid positions following an engine change prior to qualifying.

Nick Heidfeld:

BMW Sauber F1.06-04 / BMW P86

Qualifying: 8th, 1:27.579s - (3rd Practice: 1 st, 1:35.335s)

I am disappointed. After our very strong showing this morning as well as in the first two parts of qualifying, a significantly better result was possible today. But in the end I didn’t have a fresh set of tyres available so eighth was the best I could expect.

Jacques Villeneuve:

BMW Sauber F1.06-03 / BMW P86

Qualifying: 9th, 1:29.239s (3rd Practice: 2 nd, 1:36.281s)

Since I will lose 10 positions because of needing a new engine, we concentrated wholly on race strategy in the third part of qualifying, running a representative fuel load. I just did some laps to make sure I got a time and with Trulli not running I finished ninth, which means I will start from 19th position. The race pace that we have is very good so I am still optimistic for tomorrow as Felipe Massa proved in Malaysia what it is possible to do even when you have to start towards the back of the grid.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):

For the first time both cars are in the top 10. As we disclosed yesterday, we changed the engine on Jacques’s car prior to qualifying. As he will lose 10 grid positions, he only did one outing in the final part of the session to achieve a lap time. With the right strategy he should still have a realistic chance to be competitive in the race. Nick, meanwhile, is in a strong position.

Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis):

Both cars in the top 10 in qualifying: this is very positive even though Jacques will be penalised due to the engine change prior to the session. The handling balance of the F1.06 is good, so we should nevertheless be able to challenge in the race.

Courtesy of BMW NA

Weather: dry, overcast, 18-20°C Air, 25-28°C Track Melbourne (AUS). In a breathtaking Australian Grand Prix, the BMW Sauber F1 Team not only brought both of its BMW Sauber F1.06s home to the finish, but scored points with each as Nick Heidfeld finished fourth, and Jacques Villeneuve sixth.



Nick Heidfeld: 4th

BMW Sauber F1.06-04 /BMW P86

Fastest lap: 1:27.700 s, lap 49 (7th overall)

I am really happy about this result. We were already competitive in practice but we were even stronger in the race. I think it’s fantastic for a new team having both cars in the points, especially considering where Jacques started. My only problem was that I couldn’t get heat into the tyres immediately after each safety car period; it was particularly bad after the last one when Kimi was all over me, and we touched lightly in Turn 4. I then braked too late for Turn 6 because the front tyres were still not up to temperature, and as I ran wide he was able to pass me. So was Ralf, within metres of yellow flags. My compliments to the pit crew, who did a fabulous job.



Jacques Villeneuve: 6th

BMW Sauber F1.06-03 /BMW P86

Fastest lap: 1:28.321 s, lap 56 (13th overall)

Starting from 19th place with a full tank and finishing sixth is obviously a lot better than I expected, so it was a very good race for me. The only problem I had was warming up the tyres after the numerous safety car phases. We have to have a look at this to improve the situation, but otherwise our pace was good.



Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):

It was a turbulent race with many exciting moments. We are proud that we were able to bring both cars home in the points for the first time. Nick ran amongst the front-runners throughout the race, while our decision proved correct to start Jacques with a full tank from his 19th place on the grid. Congratulations to the entire team, not only here at the track but back in Munich and Hinwil too.



Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis):

The race was extremely thrilling. We opted for two different strategies, with Nick on two stops and Jacques on one because of his starting position. Both strategies paid off. In Nick’s case we brought the second stop forward because of the safety car period and as he thus had a relatively high amount of fuel still aboard we were able to rejoin the race quicker and gain positions. Overall we are happy with the performance of our cars, as well as today’s results and the championship points we scored.

Courtesy of BMW NA

Strong showing by the Sauber team this weekend. Hopefully this is the start to something good.