By BMW Sauber F1 Team
January 10 2009

BMW Sauber pre-launch series will put you in the mood for the roll-out of the BMW Sauber F1.09 in Valencia. Starts with a brief history of the BMW Sauber F1 Team's success story, which began with an impressive debut back in 2006.

The fledgling team made light of an extremely short start-up phase - there were just six months between BMW's decision to acquire a majority stake in Sauber and the team's presentation to achieve surprising success in its debut season. Between them, BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers made 19 appearances in the qualifying top ten (Nick Heidfeld = 10, Robert Kubica = 5, Jacques Villeneuve = 4), while the best starting position was Nick's third place on the grid in Monza. The team also recorded 15 points finishes (Nick = 10, Jacques = 4, Robert = 1).

The team also got its hands on two trophies, courtesy of Nick's third place in Budapest and Robert's repeat performance in Monza. The reliability rankings, meanwhile, showed the BMW Sauber F1 Team in fourth position with 22,281 race kilometres completed. The BMW Sauber F1 Team ended its first season in fifth place in the Constructors' World Championship.

"Even more important than the good results," stressed BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen, "were our consistent improvements in performance. Far from falling back relative to our competitors, we managed to achieve measurable advances under the pressure conditions of a season in progress. That showed us that we're on the right path."

*BMWF1Talk will offer you a full coverage of the F1.09 presentation and roll out, the 20th of January, with photos and live-updated info.