Race

Sam Michael

Mario Theissen

Australia

Melbourne is the first race of the season and therefore an exciting race for all the teams because everyone wants to know where they stand after the winter break. Albert Park is a low grip street circuit, with both slow and medium speed corners and two high speed sections, a complex combination, all of which need to be catered for in the set-up.

The first two Grand Prix events of 2005 will be a baptism of fire for the BMW P84/5 engine. We will have to repeat in real competition conditions what we have already achieved on the simulator – up to 1,500 kilometres per power unit.

Malaysia

Sepang is a challenging, high downforce circuit with a combination of high, medium and low speed corners and four straight sections which reward engine power
and provide good opportunities for overtaking. One factor which can create problems is localised storms.

To cope with the high temperatures in Malaysia, we anticipate that all teams will have additional or bigger air-cooling intakes in the sidepods at the front, as well as apertures in the shape of holes, slits, flues or exhaust vents.

Bahrain

With such a low average rainfall, the surface surrounding the Bahrain circuit is naturally quite dusty which can affect the track surface grip when it becomes windy. It is a great track that presents a good challenge to the engineers to find the correct drag level because of the long pit straight where overtaking is possible.

Depending on the weather, the engine may have to be protected from fine desert sand. We have prepared, to put it simply, a finer air filter featuring a denser weave. The balancing act is to provide as much protection as possible while curbing the cooling air as little as possible.

San Marino

With medium to high speed corners, a couple of chicanes and plenty
of heavy braking, San Marino is a big challenge for the drivers. It is also important to achieve a set-up on the car which allows the drivers to ride the kerbs without compromising high speed stability.

The main challenges facing the engines at Imola will be the demand for high downforce
and the uphill sections.

Spain

Barcelona is a challenging circuit for the drivers and engineers to find a well balanced set-up as changeable conditions mean that you are still experimenting with it during the race weekend. With four high speed corners, the tyres need to be harder than usual to cope with the high levels of degradation. A large emphasis is therefore placed on aerodynamic efficiency.

Along the 880-metre start/finish straight of the Circuit de Catalunya, every horsepower counts. Other than that, demands on the engine will be average with the track’s medium full-throttle ratio.

Monaco

Monaco is a tight street circuit that rewards the best chassis and drivers. The grip level increases a lot during the weekend because the tyres are so soft so a lot of rubber is laid down. Strategies are always interesting in Monaco because overtaking on the circuit is virtually impossible.

In Monaco you can’t win through sheer power alone, but good engine driveability pays off in the tight turns. The Loews hairpin is the only F1 turn where engine speed in first drops down to the 5,000 rpm band.

Nürburgring this year immediately follows Monaco so turn around time is always tight. The circuit itself is a high downforce track with numerous slow and several medium speed corners but there’s also a crucial high speed section. The circuit does offer overtaking opportunities, the best one seems to be in the section from the last chicane until turn one.

The two GPs in Germany naturally hold a special significance for BMW. The Nürburgring is a successful blend of traditional and modern circuit architecture. The demands on the engine will be average.

Canada

Montreal is a low to medium downforce circuit, dominated by traction and braking, with low cornering speeds, so selecting the correct downforce level is crucial. Heavy demand is always placed on the cars’ braking efficiency, aerodynamics and engine power. Overtaking opportunities are better than those at other circuits so we should see some good racing.

The long straights of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will be extremely challenging for the reliability and performance of the BMW P84/5 engine. The whole city will be in the grip of GP fever and, in Montreal, there are always a lot of BMW fans and events.

Indianapolis is a high speed, low downforce circuit and one which offers plenty of overtaking opportunities thanks to the circuit’s long straight. The oval section places totally different demands on the tyres and the brakes than
those we are used too, so a totally different set-up from the norm is required in order to optimise performance.

In the oval section at Indianapolis, the F1 cars run at full throttle without interruption for 1,820 metres. That spells over 20 seconds of flat-out performance, ten seconds of which are spent in seventh gear, resulting in significant thermal and mechanical loads.

France

The track at Magny-Cours includes a high speed section, two high speed chicanes and a couple of slow and medium speed corners. Traditionally, it is a very smooth circuit. Strategy is normally fairly straightforward due to the length of the pitlane and the typical tyre degradation that we see there.

This circuit will make fairly average demands on the BMW P84/5 engine. However, we have often experienced hot races at Magny-Cours. Up until now, the track has suited us pretty well.

Great Britain

Silverstone has a mix of high speed corners, as well as three straights, where power and drag are important, and a slow speed complex towards the end of the lap. Aero efficiency is therefore crucial, while the set-up on the cars needs to be geared towards aiding high speed stability without losing too much grip in the complex.

The three straights at Silverstone call for power. When coming out of the turns, good traction is paramount to ensure that this power is brought to the road.

Germany

The circuit layout is dominated by slow and medium speed corners which dictate the set-up of the cars and, as always, traction will be an important factor. Hockenheim is a great track for overtaking, particularly on the long straight from turn two down to turn three, which makes for an exciting race. Tyre wear though can be severe so making the correct tyre selection is always important.

Up until 2001, Hockenheim was a dream track for powerful engines. Since the long forest straights have disappeared though, demands on the BMW P84/5 engine will range in the upper third.

Hungary

Budapest is a technical circuit where a lot of the corners flow into each other, making it important for the driver to get into the correct rhythm. Set-up has traditionally been maximum downforce and, although the layout has changed in recent years, downforce will remain at a maximum. Strategy will be crucial at the Hungaroring as it is quite difficult, although not impossible, to overtake.

In terms of full-throttle ratio and engine speed, the relatively slow Hungaroring will not present a particular challenge to engines. But if it is hot, cooling air is at a premium due to heat building up in the valley basin and the absence of long straights.

Turkey

Istanbul’s new circuit looks interesting from the circuit layouts we have seen. From our simulations the downforce level will be high, but that’s about all we will know until we run the cars there during practice.

Preparations for an unknown race track are less complicated for the engine technicians than on the chassis side. In simulation tests, the P84/5 is invariably exposed to the most challenging circuit profile, which is Monza. In August, we anticipate a very tough, hot race in Istanbul.

Italy

Monza is now a unique circuit
on the Formula One calendar, one dominated by long straights, a couple of chicanes and only four important corners. With top speeds exceeding 370 kph during the race, it is also the fastest circuit of the season. Set-up demands the lowest amount of downforce possible, and so requires special, one-off front and rear wings that only work on the Monza track.

Monza has the highest full-throttle proportion of all F1 circuits and, at 1,236 metres, the third-longest straight after Indy and Spa. That makes for 14 uninterrupted seconds of full load, half of which is taken in seventh gear. To date, we have always taken the latest evolutionary stage of the current engine to this GP.

Belgium

Spa is one of the great circuits of Formula One racing, watching
the cars going through Eau Rouge and Blanchimont is magical. The set-up is not geared towards high downforce, but it’s important to have stability through the medium speed flowing corners as the car makes its way back from the far part of the circuit. Changing weather conditions can play havoc as it can sometimes rain on one part of the circuit, but not the other.

This long circuit, with its somewhat austere character, not only features spectacular high-speed turns but a number of inclines as well. If drivers take Eau Rouge flat out, it boasts the second longest full-throttle section of the season.
 

Brazil

Interlagos is dominated by slow to medium speed corners. With plenty of long straights, a good balance is required for the corners leading into them. The track layout also provides some great passing opportunities. Strategy can be particularly interesting at Interlagos with such a long pit lane, combined with the tendency to do short first stints.

The long, rising start/finish straight will pose a challenge to the
BMW P84/5 engine. Another key attribute is the circuit’s altitude of some 800 metres above sea level, which cuts engine power by around eight percent due to the low air density. Needless to say, however, everyone is affected in the same way.

Japan

Suzuka has everything, high speed corners, a chicane, a hairpin and some good overtaking opportunities. As high speed stability is so important, the set-up on the car is usually compromised in the slow speed sections to ensure that the driver has the confidence to push hard in places like the Esses.

Suzuka comes with another particular challenge for the engines: in the ultra-high-speed 130R turn the oil system has to deal with lateral loads of up to 6g.

China

The layout of the Shanghai circuit provided for an interesting strategy race last year – that will be all new again with the rule changes – particularly with the tyres. There is a long back straight where overtaking is possible and some nice flowing sections for the drivers. The first turn is particularly interesting and caught a few drivers out last year.

The track layout of this vast complex outside Shanghai makes fairly average demands on the engines. From BMW’s point of view as a global operator in the motor industry with its own production site in China, Formula One’s involvement in this future market is of great importance.