21/04/2006
NEWS STORY
The three BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers had two trouble-free practice sessions at the Imola track which sees the start of the European part of the F1 season with the sun shining. Test and reserve driver Robert Kubica was third quickest in both sessions.
Robert Kubica: This is my first ever Formula One practice in Europe. I already knew Imola, but they have changed the chicane and re-asphalted some corners. Where the grip level was poor the car was very unstable. We have worked to choose the best tyres, mainly concentrating on doing long runs to see the degradation, and I think we have done two really good sessions. I think it was a good Friday and I think the team will be happy with my driving and our job with the guys.
Nick Heidfeld: I only did a few laps to get familiar with the track. The Variante Alta chicane has changed, and some parts have new tarmac where the surface of the track is very slippery. I also had to deal with a nervous car. Physically I don't feel very well today, something with my stomach doesn't seem right.
Jacques Villeneuve: The track is very slippery, but it is not looking too bad. I think we can work on the car and be competitive. The major problem is we are lacking grip at the moment. They have changed just one chicane and the asphalt in a few places, but that is the same for everyone. At the end of the day the story for me is we are just low on grip.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): It was a good practice day. Robert had a very heavy workload, especially as he was comparing the different tyre compounds over long runs. With this data we have a solid basis to decide on the tyres and the set-up for both racing cars. Nick and Jacques carried out their planned programmes as well. We were able to complete all of this with no technical problems.
Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis): We are happy with the first day. We have new aerodynamic parts for the cars and were able to collect a lot of data from these. We are now going to concentrate on fine tuning the set-up of the cars for the race.