By BMW Sauber F1 Team
October 14 2008
In our latest "Track Talk", Mario Theissen looks back on an eventful Japanese Grand Prix and the excellent second place secured by Robert Kubica. Furthermore, the BMW Motorsport Director talks about Formula One's expansion in Asia and the efficient and cost-effective politics of the BMW Sauber F1 Team.
Dear motor racing enthusiasts,
Prior to the race at Fuji, many people expected to witness an
unspectacular afternoon - but the opposite was the case. It was a truly
exciting Japanese Grand Prix, compensating us for the bad luck we
encountered in Singapore.
In the 16th round of the 18-race season, Robert delivered in excellent
style. With a little luck and a lot of skill he took the lead in the
first-corner turmoil and defended it up to his first pit stop.
Subsequently, he was unable to quite match the pace of Fernando Alonso
but succeeded in keeping Kimi Räikkönen at bay in a tough but fair
battle to secure his third runner-up finish of the 2008 season.
It was the 11th podium for our team this year and the seventh for
Robert. Nick also gained a lot of ground from his 16th position on the
grid, but in the end he finished ninth, thus having to leave Japan
empty-handed. Having started 16th, securing a better result was never
really possible. Now we look forward to a thrilling season finale.
Next weekend's Chinese Grand Prix represents the second half of the
Asian back-to-back races. Altogether, it will be the fifth race held on
this continent in 2008. If you add the Turkish Grand Prix to these
races, Asia has hosted six World Championship rounds - a third of the
entire season. In 2009, Formula One will make its debut appearance in
Abu Dhabi. This development clearly demonstrates that Asia today
represents an important main pillar for Formula One. Shanghai is
developing as an economic metropolis at an explosive rate. China is a
future market featuring significant growth potential. Therefore, the
race at Shanghai represents a particularly important one, from the
point of view of BMW and our partners.
At Fuji, I was often asked about the current economic crisis. There's
no doubt that the turbulence of the financial markets causes global
disconcertment. It's a comprehensive development which is having an
impact on every business area, and therefore on Formula One also. This
applies to manufacturers and teams as well as their partners and
sponsors.
At BMW, we have pursued cost reduction measures in Formula One for many
years, acted accordingly efficiently and reduced expenses. Compared to
when we were involved in Formula One as engine supplier for Williams,
we pay 30 percent less for our Formula One involvement - with our own
team! Currently, we are cooperating with the other teams and the FIA to
define additional reasonable cost reducing measures. I am convinced
that Formula One will succeed in adapting to the new situation and
eventually emerge invigorated from this situation.
In recent years, BMW has successfully proven its technology leadership
in Formula One. Today we can say that there is no other company that
has been as successful as BMW when it comes to the technology transfer
between motor racing and production. For the automotive industry, a
global technology and structure change is imminent. In this regard,
Formula One with its hybrid KERS system will make a major contribution,
being a particularly interesting approach within the scope of our
EfficientDynamics strategy. Due to these future issues, Formula One is
going to reposition itself. The image will change.
Sincerely,
Mario Theissen
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