Theissen: BMW expecting significant improvement in Spain 27 Apr 2009
BMW Sauber’s Mario Theissen believes developments for the F1.09 at the forthcoming Spanish Grand Prix should help turn things around for the team after their disappointing start to the 2009 championship.
Their pre-season testing form had many pundits tipping BMW Sauber for glory this year, but from the first four Grands Prix, Nick Heidfeld’s second place in Malaysia has been their only points-scoring finish.
“Nobody in the team envisaged this start to the season,” admitted team principal Theissen on BMW Sauber’s official website. “We are far from happy with our performance. We are far from where we want to be, and are not measuring up to our own standards at the moment. The entire package is too slow.”
However, with the German-Swiss squad’s Munich and Hinwil factories working flat out to find a cure to the F1.09’s maladies, Theissen is confident that modifications planned for the next race will start to rescue their ’09 campaign.
“We will line up on the grid in Barcelona with a comprehensive development package, and have planned a series of additional steps throughout the season,” he said. “The package is not yet set in stone, with different variants still being tested in the wind tunnel. We are expecting a significant improvement in performance. We must then wait and see how we stand in relation to the other teams.”
The Spanish race on May 08-10 is the first European round of the season and marks most teams’ first real chance to make significant changes to their cars following the opening flyaway events.
“The Spanish Grand Prix in two weeks will be a new beginning for many teams - including ours,” added Theissen.
