08/09/2006
NEWS STORY
The BMW Sauber F1 Team finished the first day of practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza with its test and reserve driver, Sebastian Vettel, at the top of the time sheets in both sessions. Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld both had a trouble free day completing the work scheduled for them.
Sebastian Vettel: This morning it wasn't too easy for me as since the test here I have been driving Formula 3, but the step up from Formula 3 to Formula 1 is easier than the other way round. I really enjoy driving this car as it is just fantastic. Apart from the joy of what I am doing and quick lap times, the most important aspect of my job is to provide the team and the race drivers with valuable information.
Robert Kubica: In the first free practice I did just a couple of laps to check the heat in the tyres and that everything was okay. This afternoon I continued with the same set of tyres, and we are quite positive the tyres are working well, at least for me. We have some data from the third car, but it is good I have done some driving so feel safe with our choice. Everyone is trying to keep a low profile so we will see tomorrow where we end up.
Nick Heidfeld: We didn't have any problems and the tyres we got for Monza from Michelin worked. Our test here was good. The low downforce aero package works. Between the test and the race weekend we made some modifications and we haven't had any surprises yet.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): It was a good Friday for the team. Sebastian drove the car under different technical conditions and collected a lot of data for the race set up. This was the second Friday on duty for Sebastian, and it was a solid performance demonstrating that even at his young age he is capable of handling this job. Nick and Robert were both satisfied, and we had no technical problems on any of the three cars.
Willy Rampf (Technical Director): Following last week's Monza test, our car's set-up was quite good from the start of the day, so we concentrated on fine tuning the car's balance. Sebastian did a good job again and gave us a lot of data and information, which will help us make the right decisions for the race. It was a productive day and a good start to the weekend.
To check out our Italy practice gallery, click here