BMW Sauber Completes Practice Session for Monaco Grand Prix

Topics:  Monaco Grand Prix, BMW-Sauber

Anthony Fontanelle
May 28, 2007

The fifth race of the Formula One season is coming up and teams are already busy preparing for the most prestigious race of the season. The 2007 Monaco Grand Prix will be held at the city streets of the famed Monte Carlo and La Condamine. The narrow tracks of the circuit is the main concern for drivers and mechanics alike since unlike other circuits where power is the most needed, the Circuit de Monaco demands good traction from the vehicle and superb driving skills from the driver.

Team BMW Sauber, after four fourth place finishes after the first four races of the season, has just completed two days of practice sessions. The two drivers for the team, Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, are among the busiest drivers during the practice sessions after covering 150 laps between tem.

The team is focusing on the tires since they greatly need the traction to tackle the narrow tracks. While the tires are given greater emphasis, other parts of their cars such as the suspension and, of course, the engine and its BMW distributor rotor and other engine components are also checked for the upcoming race. After the practice sessions, Kubica told reporters about the steps they have taken during the practice session. “It was quite a good day as we did a lot of testing,” the Polish driver said. “We concentrated mainly on the long runs to how the tires were behaving, because this morning we had quite a lot of graining. We changed the set-up of the car to improve it and, in fact, in the afternoon we put the new set of tires on early just to run them in the end on long runs. We have to work a bit on the set-up and chose the best compromise. Now we are waiting for Saturday for the weather as some forecast predict rain.”

Meanwhile, teammate Nick Heidfeld had had some troubles during the practice session which he shared with reporters after the practice runs. “My lap times don't look good, but it isn't that bad,” says Heidfeld. “I had problems with the fuel pressure and, of course, when the engine cuts out it costs time. Apart from this both sessions went well, and in the morning the track had a surprisingly high amount of grip. Today we have tested both tire compounds properly.”

The team is currently third in the team standings. During the last race of the season, at the Spanish Grand Prix, Heidfeld was unable to finish due to gearbox problems but the team has already taken care of that and it looks like BMW Sauber is ready for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Source:  Amazines.com