Friday: BMW continues its momentum from Spa!
It was a productive day for BMW-Sauber at the opening of this racing weekend in Italy. For its initial practice sessions, the team completed a program entirely in line with other Grand Prix Fridays. This included working on the setup of their car, the F1.09, and evaluating the two types of tires, the softs and […]
It was a productive day for BMW-Sauber at the opening of this racing weekend in Italy. For its initial practice sessions, the team completed a program entirely in line with other Grand Prix Fridays. This included working on the setup of their car, the F1.09, and evaluating the two types of tires, the softs and the mediums.
Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld achieved good times throughout the day with a slight advantage this evening for the Pole, who finished the German in 5th place compared to 7th. Both are satisfied and will try to do as well as two weeks ago at Spa-Francorchamps but with the added challenge of Monza’s famous curbs!
Robert Kubica – 11th and 5th:
We lost quite a bit of time in the morning session due to a problem with the brakes. Fortunately, we were able to change them in time, and I completed quite a few laps at the end of the session. In the afternoon, we worked on the car’s set-up and tried to evaluate the tires.
Nick Heidfeld – 5th and 7th:
The lap times aren’t bad, especially considering that I did my best lap in the second session quite early with a bit of traffic. The car’s balance is better than in previous Fridays, but there’s still room for improvement. It’s difficult to find the right balance for qualifying and the race. As usual, we evaluated the tires by comparing the softer and harder compounds over long distances. The new curbs on the circuit aren’t bad; you just have to get used to them and see where you can still go and which ones you should avoid. At the end of the second session, I pitted a few minutes early after going straight on at Ascari. I just wanted to have the car checked.
Willy Rampf – Director of Engineering:
« Monza is the only track where we race with a low downforce package, therefore, we invested quite a bit of time in the morning to find a baseline for the car setup. On one hand, it’s crucial here not to lose too much time on the curbs, while braking stability is even more important here than on other tracks. In the afternoon, we focused entirely on race preparation and tire comparisons. We are very happy with the results at a low level of fuel; however, with higher loads, we still have work to do. »
