Assessment: BMW fails to recover

The BMW team is still desperately waiting for a significant performance this 2009 season. Despite having made updates to its car during recent Grand Prix, it must now be acknowledged that the F1.09 cannot measure up to the BGP001 (Force India) or the RB5 (Red Bull). The team based in Hinwil may have a development pace that is too slow compared to other teams.

This British Grand Prix was therefore nothing exceptional for the BMW drivers. Nick Heidfeld finished 15th and Robert Kubica 13th, despite a one-stop strategy that did not prove effective on Sunday because the safety car did not intervene. There are now three weeks before the German race to try to change some things.

Robert Kubica – 13th:

« It was a very difficult race for me. Starting from 12th place under normal circumstances, it was clear that we couldn’t do much better. We decided to take a risk and start the race with a heavy fuel load and soft tires. But it didn’t pay off because I had significant trouble getting my tires up to temperature and I lost ground. We have to accept the fact that 13th place today is the best we could do. »

Nick Heidfeld – 15th:

« With such a qualification, it was difficult to achieve a better result in the race. That’s what we were expecting. At the beginning, I took a lot of risks. I damaged my front wing, but thankfully nothing significant. Of course, it significantly affected the aerodynamics, but we decided to wait until the next stop to fix it so as not to lose even more time. For the second stint, I had to use the soft tires but obviously, this type of tire was the best. »

Mario Theissen – Director of BMW Motorsport:

« For us the race reflects our performance in qualifying. Overall, it’s a disappointing weekend for our team. We are going to accelerate our development program. The only thing out of the ordinary today is that Nick [Heidfeld] hit another car on the first lap and damaged his front wing. Although he was able to continue until the pit stop, he lost a lot of time. »