Friday: Calm at BMW except for Heidfeld’s accident

It’s a rather positive Friday for the BMW team. A morning where the drivers took a bit of time to get used to the circuit as they placed only 12th and 15th, with Robert Kubica ahead of Nick Heidfeld. The Polish driver fared better this afternoon as he made it into the top 10 with a strong 7th best time.

The German was less fortunate as a collision with Fernando Alonso in the pits delayed his schedule. He is only 17th. The F1.09s, however, show encouraging signs, perhaps thanks to the new aerodynamic packages. The program was identical to other races with the setup exploration in the morning and then the tire testing this afternoon.

Robert Kubica – 12th and 7th:

« We brought some new elements to Valencia and tested them during these two sessions. In the afternoon, we focused on evaluating the tires over the long term. For me, it was a trouble-free Friday. The grip on the track is very good, and we had a good pace. However, we are still facing the same issues with the car that we’ve had since the beginning of the season. »

Nick Heidfeld – 15th and 17th:

« At the beginning of the second session, everything was going well. Then, with the softer tires, I got caught in traffic. When Fernando Alonso ran into me, my session practically ended. Such an accident is really not necessary during free practice. I saw him in the rearview mirror, but I tried to get ahead of him, but he went straight just like me.

Willy Rampf – Director of Engineering:

« Our objective today was to find a good setup for our new aerodynamic package. So far, we are satisfied with what we have achieved during the first two test sessions. In the second session, we focused on both long and short runs to gather information on tire performance. Robert [Kubica] was able to complete his program as planned without any issues, while Nick [Heidfeld] wasn’t as fortunate due to a collision with Fernando Alonso. »