Assessment: Another Disappointing Weekend for BMW
BMW did not make headlines this race weekend at the German Nurburgring circuit. Its result is therefore not impressive with only 10th and 14th places among the 18 drivers who crossed the finish line. No technical problem is to be attributed to the German team, at home this weekend. It is Nick Heidfeld who is […]
BMW did not make headlines this race weekend at the German Nurburgring circuit. Its result is therefore not impressive with only 10th and 14th places among the 18 drivers who crossed the finish line. No technical problem is to be attributed to the German team, at home this weekend.
It is Nick Heidfeld who is ahead of his teammate Robert Kubica. The former lost valuable time in the pits waiting for Piquet to pass. An eighth place for the German might have been possible.
Nick Heidfeld – 10th:
I am very disappointed because today we had the speed to score points, which obviously hasn’t always been the case this year, but several things went wrong. The start was good in the first few meters, and I tried to improve my position, but being alongside Adrian Sutil was very tough. Then, the first stint wasn’t easy with a heavy fuel load. But halfway through the race, I was able to recover until I lost some time behind slower cars, including Robert [Kubica]. Then, I was unlucky to be at a standstill in the pits as a Renault arrived, and I had to wait.
Robert Kubica – 14th:
« I made a very good start by gaining many positions on the first lap. Even though my tires, the first stint was very good. Nico Rosberg was the first in front of me, and he was very fast. I changed tires for the second stint and, after a few laps, I noticed that the tire pressure wasn’t right. Unfortunately, this cost me a lot of time on each lap. Everyone within the team is working very hard, and we are getting a little better each weekend, but there’s still a big gap at the front. »
Mario Theissen – Director of BMW Motorsport:
« The result of the race reflects our performance throughout the weekend. For us, it was a race without anything special. Just a small issue during Nick [Heidfeld]’s pit stop. It’s because after refueling and fitting new tires, he had to let Nelson Piquet pass. As a result, he lost valuable time, and his chances for 8th place disappeared. However, we didn’t have any technical problems. »
