BMW Sauber Articles
Saturday, March 6th, 2010 - Posted by Formula1Blogger
With just over 1 week until the first Grand Prix race of the 2010 season in Bahrain, we thought it’s be a nice idea to summarise what’s happened between Jenson Button’s 2009 Championship win, and now.
Teams
Shortly after the end of the 2009 season, Japanese team Toyota announced that they would no longer take part in Formula One due to financial reasons. This left drivers Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock without a drive. Previous to this, BMW Sauber had also announced that they were also pulling out of F1 due to BMW not wanting to take part, again leaving drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica looking for jobs.
Sauber however managed to salvage the team, bringing it to F1 in 2010 – Although the team lost both drivers in the process, as well as the BMW Engine. Sauber are still registered as BMW Sauber, despite the lack of BMW – choosing to use a Ferrari engine instead.
Constructers champions Brawn GP were also bought out by German car manufacturer Mercedes, renaming the team Mercedes GP. Ross Brawn stays in his position as Team Principal.
4 new teams were billed to join the 2010 season, Virgin Racing, Campos (Now HRT Racing), US F1, and Lotus. US F1 recently announced that they are pulling out of the 2010 season, being unable to complete their development programme in time, and now focussing on a 2011 entry. It is understood that Stefan GP attempted to take the remaining slot on the F1 grid, however the FIA rejected their entry based on the time before the first race (some 2 weeks).
Drivers
The first major scalp in the driver juggle was Kimi Raikkonen. Mid 2009 season Ferrari announced that Renault driver Fernando Alonso would be joining the team, leaving Raikkonen without a 2009 race seat. Raikkonen was understood to only want a seat in one of two available cars, the Brawn or McLaren – however neither deal was made (likely due to the high price Raikkonen was commanding) and Raikkonen left F1 (albeit maybe temporarily).
The second biggest shock of the driver reshuffle was the move of 2009 championship winner Jenson Button over to McLaren. He joins the 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton for an all British line-up. Widely seen as a risky move, time will tell if this change was a good one for Button.
The final big news was the announcement of Michael Schumacher to the Mercedes GP team. Schumacher returns out of retirement for 3 years to lead an all German lineup with Nico Rosberg as his partner. Schumacher originally planned an F1 return in 2009 when Felipe Massa pulled out after an accident, however was unable to due to suffering a neck injury after a motorbike accident.
Remaining driver positions can be seen in our Guide to 2010 driver lineups.
Important Rule Changes
- Refuelling has been banned during the race. Drivers will only be able to pitstop with problems and tyre changes.
- The top ten drivers to qualify for the race must start the race on the same set of tyres that quaified with.
- A new points system is now in place (see here)
- KERS, although not banned by the FIA, will not be used by FOTA teams in 2010.
- A Grand Prix can now take upto 26 cars.
- Wheel covers are banned on all cars.
- Front tyres have been slightly narrowed in comparison to rear tyres
- No testing rules have been slightly amended to allow any backup drivers 1 day of testing on a circuit not part of the 2010 season in order to prepare them for racing.
Circuit Changes
British GP track Donington pulled out of hosting the 2010 GP, and any future ones after they could not secure the funding for the endeavour. After weeks of speculation, and the chance of no British Grand Prix on the timetable, an agreement was placed between F1 Administration and Silverstone to host the British GP for the next 17 years.
The Canadian Grand Prix will return in 2010. Fuji Speedway was also due to host the 2010 Japanese GP, however track owners Toyota pulled out of this as well, leaving Suzuka to continue holding the race.
Finally, South Korea will host its first GP at the Korean International Circuit in the latter part of the season.
Tags: 2010, Donington, Drivers 2010, Ferrari, Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen, Mercedes GP, Michael Schumacher, Rule changes, Silverstone
Posted in BMW Sauber, Brawn GP, Campos, FIA, Ferrari, Lotus F1, Manor GP, McLaren, Mercedes GP, News, Renault, Sauber, Toyota, US F1, Williams | No Comments »
Thursday, February 4th, 2010 - Posted by Formula1Blogger
Ex BMW-Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld has confirmed that he will join newly formed Mercedes GP as their reserve driver, sealing the all German lineup with Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg. Nick said,
“I am very pleased to be joining the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team. It’s the team which has attracted the most interest in the close season, not only because of the comeback of Michael Schumacher, but also because this season sees the return of the Silver Arrows cars as a Mercedes-Benz works team for the first time in over fifty years. Whilst I would of course have preferred a seat as an active driver, I am really proud to be part of the new Silver Arrows team. I have seen how committed everyone at the team is and I feel the same. I will be doing my very best to support Michael and Nico this year”
Heidfeld suffered a pretty terrible season in 2009, with his first retirement of his F1 career, which was a great record. Whilst always managing to finish races, Heidfeld has failed to make it as a race winner on all occasions, and has only managed 12 podiums in his 10 years in Formula 1.
Tags: Drivers 2010, Mercedes GP, Nick Heidfeld
Posted in BMW Sauber, Mercedes GP, News | No Comments »
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 - Posted by Jack Sargeant
In the final day of young driver testing at the Jerez circuit in Spain, it was reigning British F3 champ Aussie Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull who set the quickest time – a 1.17.418s, despite having a premature end to the day.
The engine in Ricciardo’s Red Bull gave up the ghost after completing 77 laps.
The second quickest driver of the day was Scot Paul di Resta in the Force India, who’s morning session was cut short when his car came to a halt in the gravel at the chicane.
Third fastest in the McLaren was yesterday’s pacesetter Gary Paffett.
Times
01. Ricciardo Red Bull 1.17.418s 77 laps
02. Di Resta Force India 1.18.736s 53 laps
03. Paffett McLaren 1.18.746s 59 laps
04. Conway Brawn 1.19.096s 77 laps
05. Hulkenberg Williams 1.19.226s 106 laps
06. Baguette Sauber 1.19.356s 70 laps
07. Turvey McLaren 1.19.358s 32 laps
08. Ericsson Brawn 1.19.382s 49 laps
09. Di Grassi Renault 1.19.602s 123 laps
10. Hildebrand Force India 1.19.873s 41 laps
11. Sanchez Ferrari 1.21.147s 39 laps
12. Zampieri Ferrari 1.21.279s 42 laps
12. Zipoli Ferrari 1.21.725s 41 laps
13. Hartley Toro Rosso 1.22.493s 50 laps
15. Bortolotti Toro Rosso 1.23.271s 34 laps
16. Tung Renault 1.32.477s 4 laps
Tags: British F3, Daniel Ricciardo, Force India, Gary Paffett, Jerez, McLaren, Paul di Resta
Posted in BMW Sauber, Brawn GP, Ferrari, Force India, McLaren, News, Red Bull, Renault, Toro Rosso, Williams | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 - Posted by Jack Sargeant
Gary Paffett of McLaren topped the timesheets in today’s second young drivers test at Jerez, with the 2005 DTM champion and long-time McLaren test driver setting a fastest time of 01:18.718 in a day dogged by rain.
The Williams driver Nico Hulkenberg with a 2010 race seat for the team set a time of a 1:19.184 in his 94 laps to finish second fastest ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull.
Jules Bianchi could only manage 9th fastest with a 01:20.586 in his 113 laps for Ferrari, after announcing earlier he has signed a long-term contract with the team and will continue his race towards Formula One with a GP2 seat with the ART team in 2010.
The two Brawn GP drivers were almost inseperable – Mike Conway set a 01:20.222 and Marcus Ericsson a 01:20.440, despite the former completing 46 more laps than the Swede Ericsson.
The only driver who forced the red flags to come out was Mirko Bortolotti, when the Toro Rosso man stalled out on track. Bortolotti finished the session last, with his fastest time being a 01:21.761 in his 79 laps.
Times:
01 G. Paffett (McLaren) 01:18.718 80 laps
02 N. Hulkenberg (Williams) 01:19.184 94 laps
03 D. Ricciardo (Red Bull) 01:19.243 92 laps
04 P. di Resta (Force India) 01:19.411 58 laps
05 E. Gutierrez (BMW-Sauber) 01:20.190 68 laps
06 M. Conway (Brawn GP) 01:20.222 83 laps
07 M. Ericsson (Brawn GP) 01:20.440 37 laps
08 J.R. Hildebrand (Force India) 01:20.517 49 laps
09 J. Bianchi (Ferrari) 01:20.586 113 laps
10 L. Di Grassi (Renault) 01:20.898 67 laps
11 H. Tung (Renault) 01:21.492 57 laps
12 M. Bortolotti (Scuderia Toro Rosso) 01:21.761 79 laps
Tags: ART, Brawn GP, Daniel Ricciardo, DTM, Ferrari, Gary Paffett, GP2, Jerez, Jules Bianchi, Marcus Ericsson, McLaren, Mike Conway, Mirko Bortolotti, Nico Hulkenberg, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Williams
Posted in BMW Sauber, Brawn GP, Ferrari, Force India, McLaren, News, Red Bull, Renault, Toro Rosso, Williams | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 - Posted by Jack Sargeant
The young drivers test or ‘Kindergarten week’ as it was dubbed by Toro Rosso has today begun at the Jerez Circuit, Spain with 12 hot prospects all setting lap times at the circuit.
British F2 champ Spaniard Andy Soucek was the fastest driver in the 2009 Williams under the sunny skies at the circuit, where there was a track temperature of just 22′C. He clocked a 1:19.158 in his 87 laps.
However, it wasn’t all good for Soucek as twice he forced the red flags to come out, and brought the session to a temporary halt.
Scot Paul di Resta went second fastest in the Force India 0.211s off the pace, ahead of third place and former DTM champion Gary Paffett.
Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley finished last of the 12 after colliding with the barriers in the morning session.
Finishing 7th in the BMW Sauber was Alexander Rossi who’s quickest time was a 1:20.227. When speaking about his day he said;
“I very much enjoyed this day. It is impressive what the car does, how predictable and precise its reactions are, and how high the overall grip level is. But I have to admit I am also a little bit disappointed because being a racing driver you always want to be the fastest!
“I think in the afternoon we didn’t manage to find the perfect balance. Physically I have to say it was as demanding as I expected it would be. The power steering is a great help compared to GP2, but the g-forces obviously are higher.”
The Young Drivers testing runs until December 3rd.
Times
01 A. Soucek (Williams) 1:19.158 87 laps
02 P. Di Resta (Force India) 1:19.369 46 laps
03 G. Paffet (McLaren) 1:19.426 54 laps
04 D. Ricciardo (Red Bull) 1:19.534 113 laps
05 J. Bianchi (Ferrari) 1:19.626 91 laps
06 M. Conway (Brawn GP) 1:19.920 58 laps
07 A. Rossi (BMW-Sauber) 1:20.227 82 laps
08 M. Ericsson (Brawn GP) 1:20.333 50 laps
09 B. Baguette (Renault) 1:20.511 105 laps
10 J.R. Hildebrand (Force India) 1:20.537 49 laps
11 O. Turvey (McLaren) 1:20.856 27 laps
12 B. Hartley (Toro Rosso) 1:21.325 69 laps
Tags: Alexander Rossi, Andy Soucek, BMW Sauber, Brendon Hartley, DTM, F2, Force India, Gary Paffett, Jerez, Paul di Resta, Toro Rosso, Williams
Posted in BMW Sauber, Brawn GP, Ferrari, Force India, McLaren, News, Red Bull, Renault, Toro Rosso, Williams | No Comments »
Friday, November 27th, 2009 - Posted by Jack Sargeant
Former team owner Peter Sauber will have a team back in F1 in 2010, provided that they are allocated grid places, after he bought the outgoing BMW team.
Sauber were previously an F1 team from 1993-2005 before they were purchased by BMW. They competed 206 times and scored 6 podiums, despite never taking a race win.
Sauber has bought the team after the deal that BMW seemed to have in place with Qadbak Investments Ltd fell through. This deal fell through as Qadbak did not have the necessary funds and that there was no bank guarantee. Bahrain Capital International, who were supposed to give such a guarantee, turned out to be a shell company of controversial businessman and senior Qadbak representative Russell King, with no assets.
Dr. Klaus Draeger, a member of the Board of Management of BMW AG said;
“We are very happy with this solution. This fulfils the most important requirement for a successful future for the team. Our relationship with Peter Sauber has always been excellent and marked by absolute respect. We would like to express our thanks to Peter Sauber and the whole team for the excellent cooperation during the recent four years.
“I am very relieved that we have found this solution. It means we can keep the Hinwil location and the majority of workplaces. I am convinced that the new team has a very good future in Formula 1, whose current transformation with new framework conditions will benefit the private teams.
“Our staff here are highly competent and motivated, and I look forward to taking on this new challenge together with them. I would like to thank BMW for four shared years, that have in the main been very successful.”
Tags: BMW, Dr Klaus Draeger, Peter Sauber, QADBAK, Russell King, Sauber, Toyota
Posted in BMW Sauber, News | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 - Posted by Jack Sargeant
They may not be competing in the F1 season next year after announcing their withdrawal earlier this year, but the BMW Sauber team are staying true to their word and will give two Formula BMW drivers – Alexander Rossi and Esteban Gutierrez their first taste of an F1 car at next week’s test for young drivers in Jerez, Spain.
BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen said:
“Depriving these junior drivers of the test we had promised them was not an option for us, even after the withdrawal of BMW from Formula One.
“BMW remains committed to motor sport and is keen to continue making a contribution to well-structured talent development.”
The 18 year old American Alexander Rossi has previously won the Formula BMW World Final, and will compete in the GP2 Asia series next season. Rossi said:
“I take the opportunity to present myself as a driver at Formula One level very seriously and I’m very aware of the far-reaching potential it has. I feel very fortunate and my goals for the test are to put in a fantastic performance while fully absorbing the whole experience. There is a growing list of people that have helped me get where I am today. This is a team effort and I am very grateful for this support. A special thanks to BMW Motorsport Director Dr. Mario Theissen for making this test possible and having the confidence in me.”
The other driver that BMW will give a test to is again an 18 year old, Mexican Esteban Gutierrez. Gutierrez won the Formula BMW Europe in 2008. He said:
“We have put all our efforts into the preparations for this great opportunity that will provide me with an insight into what the future may bring. The opportunity to drive a Formula One car is the fulfilment of part of my dreams. I feel very pleased and will use this experience to learn about and experience the professionalism of a Formula One team. This will help me to find the aspects where I need to work on myself more. This test is the achievement of many people who have given me support. It is also an honour for me to represent my home country Mexico. I will deliver my best.”
Tags: Alexander Rossi, BMW Sauber, Esteban Gutierrez, Formula BMW, Jerez
Posted in BMW Sauber, News | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 - Posted by Formula1Blogger
In news that probably isn’t all that surprising this morning, Japanese car firm Toyota have confirmed that they will no longer take part in Formula One racing due to posting its worst ever financial loss. The world’s largest car manufacturer is leaving the sport to concentrate on its core business and to cut costs.
Rumours had been gently spreading over the past few weeks that the team were to possibly leave F1. Earlier last week Williams announced that they were no longer to use Toyota engines which some point out as one of the causing factors.
Last night @f1scoop found an article reported by Japanese newspaper Mainichi Daily News that the Toyota board have decided to pull out of Formula 1. A translation of the news article can be found here. To quote the article:
“Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s greatest motor racing, Formula One (F1) has decided to withdraw as far as this year.”
The announcement was made at 0800 hrs GMT today, 1700 local time.
This now leaves an empty slot on the grid for a team next year, which will likely mean the ex BMW Sauber team will be able to join in the the 2010 season after all. This also leaves Toyota drivers Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock and the impressive Kamui Kobayashi out of a job.
Tags: 2010, BMW Sauber, Drivers 2010, Engines, Jarno Trulli, Kamui Kobayashi, Timo Glock, Toyota, Williams
Posted in BMW Sauber, News, Toyota | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 - Posted by Formula1Blogger
Note: This article has been updated – please see last section.
It is being reported that Toyota have set November 8th as the day they will announce the future of the team. Previously it had been believed that the team would wait until their board meeting in mid November before any announcements would be made, however for whatever reason this has now been brought forward.
The future of the team has been in question for many weeks, with the team under performing throughout the tail end of the season. Toyota wouldn’t be the first casualty either of the big car manufacturer pull outs from Formula 1, with Honda and BMW already out of the game due to the world financial crisis.
Current drivers are also unconfirmed for 2010 seats, with Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli seemingly about to fly the nest, with the Toyota team looking for fresh blood such as the promising Kamui Kobayashi. Team boss John Howett has been positive however, keen to sign new drivers – even looking at the expensive Kimi Raikkonen.
If Toyota were to leave the sport this would free up a space on the grid for another team, which would work out quite nicely for the ex BMW Sauber team, who currently have new owners, but no grid places in 2010.
Update 03/11/09 19:15
It is being reported by Japanese newspaper Mainichi Daily News that the Toyota board have decided to pull out of Formula 1. A translation of the news article can be found here reported by @f1scoop. To quote the article:
“Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s greatest motor racing, Formula One (F1) has decided to withdraw as far as this year.”
According to the article, Toyota will now make announcement tomorrow (4th November) to confirm this news.
Update 04/11/09 08:15
Toyota have confirmed they will not take part any further in Formula One… Read More.
For more information on the Formula 1 driver lineup for 2010, check out our Ultimate Guide.
Tags: BMW Sauber, Drivers 2010, Jarno Trulli, Kamui Kobayashi, Timo Glock, Toyota
Posted in BMW Sauber, News, Toyota | No Comments »
Saturday, October 31st, 2009 - Posted by Jack Sargeant
Lewis Hamilton will line up alongside Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel for tomorrow’s inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit after setting an electrifying lap in Q3, more than 0.5secs faster than the rest of the field.
Hamilton set a 1:40.948 after the chequered flag had dropped in Q3 compared to Vettel’s 1:41.615. The fellow Red Bull driver Mark Webber will line up 3rd alongside Rubens Barrichello and World Champion Jenson Button will start 5th.
Hamilton’s teammate Heikki Kovalainen will start 13th, despite topping Friday Practice 2, although this is because he suffered a brake problem in Q2.
Elsewhere it was a reasonably impressive qualifying session in BMW Sauber’s last ever Grand Prix with Kubica and Heidfeld making it an all BMW 4th row. They qualified 7th and 8th respectively.
Ferrari had another nightmare with Giancarlo Fisichella in particular, who will start last on the grid and Kimi Raikkonen who will start an average 11th on the grid.
It was a disappointing session for Renault as both of their drivers failed to get through Q1. In twice former world champion Fernando Alonso’s final qualifying for Renault he qualified 16th. His teammate Romain Grosjean will start 19th.
The full classification is below.
(more…)
Tags: Abu Dhabi, BMW Sauber, Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Giancarlo Fisichella, Heikki Kovalainen, Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, Nick Heidfeld, Red Bull, Renault, Robert Kubica, Romain Grosjean, Rubens Barrichello, Sebastian Vettel, Yas Marina
Posted in BMW Sauber, Brawn GP, Ferrari, Force India, McLaren, News, Red Bull, Renault, Toro Rosso, Toyota, Williams | No Comments »
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