Assessment: A Chinese Weekend to Forget for BMW

Nothing is going right for the BMW team after the third race of the 2009 season. They have only been a shadow of themselves throughout these three days. Yesterday in qualifying, Kubica and Heidfeld were far back on the grid. The dreadful conditions at the Shanghai circuit did not help them.

And for good reason, Heidfeld is 12th and Kubica 13th with a ‘big crash’ credited to the German driver. Both drivers have only been making mistakes or getting involved in accidents. In the championship, it’s a downfall as Heidfeld was close to scoring some points if the debris on the track hadn’t affected his car.

Nick Heidfeld – 12th:

« Of course, I am disappointed with the outcome of today’s race, but at the same time, I went to the end. The conditions in terms of visibility and aquaplaning were disastrous. At the beginning, with the safety car, my tire pressure was too low. On lap 13, Timo Glock hit me, which caused damage to the car. »

Robert Kubica – 13th:

Driving was very dangerous today. We were aquaplaning almost everywhere and the lack of visibility was a disaster. There were many situations where I couldn’t see anything. These conditions caused an accident with Jarno Trulli. When he braked into the corner, I ran into him even though I braked with all my strength. I went very high in the air after hitting his rear tire, but fortunately, no one was injured. We had to change the front wing twice because I was feeling some vibration with a loss of grip. It ruined my race.

Mario Thiessen – Director of BMW Motorsport:

« There is not much to say about this Grand Prix. Poor starting positions for our two drivers involved in collisions due to the rain. The result is worth zero points. All we can do is put the race behind us and focus on Bahrain. »