Thursday: BMW is at the bottom of the Monaco rock
BMW experienced a nightmare start to the weekend. The team came here with a new aerodynamic package and unwavering optimism. After the first day, the verdict is a serious lack of reliability and a lack of performance even more unpredictable than the mechanics of the F1.09.
This morning, both Kubica and Heidfeld experienced brake problems, losing a lot of time in the pits. In the afternoon, Kubica was unable to complete a fast lap, breaking his engine after his warm-up lap. Ultimately, only Heidfeld’s second session could have been fruitful, but he finished only in 17th place. Not something to please a team that was fighting for the podium last year.
Nick Heidfeld – 17th and 17th:
«After brake issues on both cars this morning, the second practice session was OK for me. On the long runs, I was quite lucky not to be in traffic, but I had to deal with it once I changed tyres at the end of the session. I lost a bit of time behind my teammates, but even with that, you can see the car isn’t made for this track… We’re still working on it.»
Robert Kubica – 16th and 20th:
« The day was extremely disappointing. On one hand, we are lacking in performance, and then with the engine failure during the second practice session, I had very little time to drive! There’s nothing more to add! »
Willy Rampf – Technical Director:
« It’s a disappointing test day! The car’s performance is far behind what we expected and the highlight remains this loss of time due to lack of reliability and engine failure. It was the last planned test of Kubica’s engine block when it broke, and the breakdown will have no impact on the number of engines we can use for the rest of the year. It cost us time and Robert [Kubica] won’t have this time to prepare his car… »
