Formula 1 News

BMW Sauber: 2008 Japanese Grand Prix preview 

Mario Theissen: “The spectacular night-race premiere in Singapore is over. For the next two races we will be stopping off in Asia as well, first in Japan and just a week later in China. Some team members flew back to Munich and Hinwil from Singapore, while others stayed on in Asia for a few days’ relaxation. Others, in turn, are travelling to South Korea, where Nick will be doing some demo drives with the Formula One car on Saturday and Sunday. The Fuji Speedway celebrated its successful comeback to the F1 calendar in 2007. The circuit is in a picturesque setting in the Japanese Alps, against the backdrop of Mount Fuji that rises majestically behind it. Last year, however, the sacred mountain could only be seen on Friday, and in the sunshine it was the most photographed view. Unfortunately, it then disappeared behind a thick wall of fog and rain and was never seen again. The weather had a profound impact on the entire race weekend in 2007. After our unlucky experience with the Safety Car regulations in Singapore – the second time this season – which lost us important points, we aim to make up for lost ground in Japan. In the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships the leaders are bunched close together, which promises plenty of excitement for the remaining races.”

Nick Heidfeld: “Firstly, I’m hoping Fuji won’t bring the kind of torrential rain we had in 2007. Basically I enjoy driving in the rain, but with last year’s deluge it was just impossible. Visibility was zero, which led to a number of collisions. Somebody drove into my car as well and damaged it. Even so, shortly before the end I was in sixth place, but then an engine problem put me out of the race. It’s a fun circuit. There are lots of uphill and downhill gradients and several blind corners. But I’m a bit hard on it as Suzuka was always my favourite GP track. One feature of the Fuji circuit that stands out is its extremely long straight. It’s a beautiful landscape, and the road from the hotel to the track could serve as an excellent rally special stage. I hope Mount Fuji is going to show its face again. Overall there doesn’t seem to be much going on in the area, but that’s fine after all the hustle and bustle of Singapore.”

Willy Rampf: “After the spectacular night race in Singapore, Formula One will be returning to normality in Fuji. Last year was our first race there, though it was dominated by a very wet track. But we still managed to gather some information in terms of the car set-up. At around 1.5 kilometres, Fuji boasts the longest genuine straight of any Grand Prix circuit. It means there are real overtaking opportunities. At the same time, the medium-fast and fast turns require plenty of downforce, which calls for a compromise in the aero set-up. In Fuji we drive with medium downforce, comparable to Valencia. Bridgestone supplies the two medium tyre compounds, which shouldn’t pose us any major problems. After Singapore’s turbulent race, where the Safety Car phase threw a spanner into the works, we want to achieve a strong points haul with both cars in Japan.”

Robert Kubica: “This season we go to Fuji for the second year in a row. I guess everybody remembers last year’s Japanese Grand Prix as the weather conditions were crazy. It was extremely wet and visibility was poor. From a driver’s perspective the track is very interesting. There are some challenging corners with different radii and also some blind corners. Under dry conditions it was very enjoyable to drive, although the last sector is quite slow as there are a lot of tight corners. As always in Japan, I think the fans will bring a unique atmosphere to the Formula One track. Usually they come to the track early in the morning and leave it after us.”

source: BMW Sauber