Saturday: BMW already doing much better than in Bahrain
The significant improvement in the competitiveness of the F1.09 is underway. BMW is quite satisfied with their day as Robert Kubica made an impression today. This morning, during the final practice, he achieved the 5th fastest time. This afternoon, in qualifying, the Pole delivered very good laps to reach Q3, where he remained stuck in […]
The significant improvement in the competitiveness of the F1.09 is underway. BMW is quite satisfied with their day as Robert Kubica made an impression today. This morning, during the final practice, he achieved the 5th fastest time. This afternoon, in qualifying, the Pole delivered very good laps to reach Q3, where he remained stuck in 10th place. His team fitted the wrong tires on his car.
His teammate, Nick Heidfeld, also made headlines with an off-track excursion this morning that forced him to return to the pits. He only completed 8 laps. In qualifying, he reached Q2 and ranked 13th. It’s certainly much better than two weeks ago at the Sakhir circuit where both drivers were stuck in Q1.
Robert Kubica – 5th and 10th:
« The qualifying started very well for me. I did two solid runs in Q1 and then an excellent one in Q2. I then changed tires. Today’s performance is a clear indication that we have made progress with the car’s performance. But then the car in Q3 was different from the start of the session. It’s clear that something was wrong, and I returned to the pits. It’s disappointing because this issue prevented me from achieving the car’s full potential. »
Nick Heidfeld – 20th and 13th:
« It’s good news to see our car improved with the new aerodynamic package. It’s all the more unfortunate that I couldn’t make the most of it. This morning, I went wide in a turn and hit a tire barrier, so I couldn’t do more laps to prepare for qualifying. The predictions for the race are tough and it’s not easy to overtake in Barcelona, but I still hope to fight for points. »
Mario Theissen – Director of BMW Motorsport:
Today, the car’s performance showed the current trend: an increase in our competitiveness. Robert [Kubica] only needed one stint in Q2 to secure his place in the top ten. However, for Q3, the team made a mistake regarding tire choices. Nick [Heidfeld] missed Q3 by a fraction of a second. Clearly, his crash in the morning and the loss of laps to set up his car played a role.
