28/07/2006
NEWS STORY
BMW Sauber F1 Team test and reserve driver, Robert Kubica, was quickest overall on the first day of practice for the German Grand Prix. His team mates, Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve, also experienced two trouble-free sessions in Hockenheim.
Robert Kubica: This morning we couldn't get the right information as the car was not really balanced. We then decided to go in one direction, which was really good. I was surprised as we were not looking for quick lap times but we were much quicker than this morning and everything is now positive. Fortunately the weather allowed us to re-test the tyres and now we have a better vision of which to choose.
Nick Heidfeld: Because we knew there was a risk of rain in the second session today, we drove more laps than usual in the morning free practice. Apart from that, there was nothing special and we had a troublefree first day here in Germany.
Jacques Villeneuve: I am personally having a hard time making the front work properly. There is a lot of understeer, which is destroying the tyres, so we need to work on the car's set up tonight. The morning was okay for me then the afternoon did not go very well. I am not that competitive at the moment, but at other tracks I have been slow on Friday on old tyres and then been good on Saturday on new ones.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): As usual Robert did the lion's share of the work. We were not happy with the result of the first session, as the car's set-up did not suite the tyres. After a few changes the second session was a lot better. The improvements are obvious in our best time of the day, and also the results from the long runs were positive. The light rain at the beginning of the second session cost us a few minutes of track time. At the end of the day we are happy with the results and had no technical problems.
Willy Rampf (Technical Director): The rain showers this afternoon didn't make life easier for us, however, we were still able to gather a lot of valuable information. As Robert was unhappy with the balance of the car this morning, we made some set-up changes which improved the handling significantly. He was then able to concentrate on tyre comparison work and with this data we should be in a good position to make the right decision. Nick and Jacques focused on set-up work so they have a solid base to work on for tomorrow.
To check out our Hockenheim practice gallery, click here