Formula 1
Australian GP: BMW Sauber Friday practice notes
In practice for the Australian GP, BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers Robert Kubica, Jacques Villeneuve and Nick Heidfeld finished third, 12th and 15th respectively. Robert Kubica: "After the engine problem this morning we had a pretty good second ...
Edited: Apr 1, 2006, 2:39 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
In practice for the Australian GP, BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers Robert Kubica, Jacques Villeneuve and Nick Heidfeld finished third, 12th and 15th respectively.
Robert Kubica:
"After the engine problem this morning we had a pretty good second session. We tried some promising aero solutions and were able to do consistent times in our long run. On my last outing I had some traffic, otherwise I would have been even quicker, but that is less important in a free practice session."
Jacques Villeneuve:
"The car seems to be competitive. One issue so far has been warming up the tyres, which should not be a problem in qualifying now that we can run more than one lap, or in the race, but it will be critical to be competitive then because of the penalty I will get for needing an engine change. Thats a pity, because the balance of the car is very good, and Im really happy with its speed."
Nick Heidfeld:
"I dont like these Friday sessions so much. This morning I just did an installation lap, and this afternoon just one outing with only a few laps. However, the car wasnt too bad and was definitely better than the lap time suggests; I had traffic in the second sector and there were yellow flags in the third."
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"Robert had to stop the first practice prematurely due to an engine failure after 13 laps. Our whole focus is on reliability, but the time for development was too short. Over the winter our test engines of identical-specification covered the required distances without problem."
"However, our investigations into the breakages units after Bahrain and Malaysia revealed that some components have not met their required production tolerances. Our short-term reaction has been to build new engines with hand-selected components that best meet these rigorous requirements."
"We have two of these revised engines here. One is already installed in Nicks car, and Jacques will get the second in time for qualifying after Saturdays morning practice session. As a result he will lose 10 positions on the grid."
Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis):
"Apart from the engine problems, Im quite happy with the performance that we demonstrated today. Robert did the tyre evaluation but also concentrated on set-up work, particularly for qualifying. Jacques focused on race preparation, while Nick just did a baseline run."
Robert Kubica
1st Practice: 9th, 1:29.576
2nd Practice: 3rd, 1:27.200
Jacques Villeneuve
1st Practice: 3rd, 1:28.595
2nd Practice: 12th, 1:28.440
Nick Heidfeld
1st Practice: No time
2nd Practice: 15th, 1:29.053
-bmwsauber-
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Davidson leads in Australian GP first practice
Next article Australian GP: Michelin Friday practice notes
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Robert Kubica
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
WEC
WEC
Monza
10 h
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
Missing out on Ferrari F1 drive felt like "bleeding" to Robert Kubica
Formula 1
Formula 1
Barcelona-Catalunya GP
Missing out on Ferrari F1 drive felt like "bleeding" to Robert Kubica
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
Formula 1
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
More from
Sauber
Sebastian Vettel reveals why BMW didn't want him – but Red Bull did
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sebastian Vettel reveals why BMW didn't want him – but Red Bull did
Lewis Hamilton 'almost signed for Sauber' before F1 debut, says Peter Sauber
Formula 1
Formula 1
Barcelona-Catalunya Pre-Season Testing
Lewis Hamilton 'almost signed for Sauber' before F1 debut, says Peter Sauber
F1 2025 season highlights: Fans crown Nico Hulkenberg's podium and Lando Norris's title as top moments
Formula 1
Formula 1
F1 2025 season highlights: Fans crown Nico Hulkenberg's podium and Lando Norris's title as top moments
Latest news
WEC drivers question lack of full-course yellow after heavy Monza crash
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
1 h
WEC drivers question lack of full-course yellow after heavy Monza crash
Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels and the Hendrick 5 are who we say they are
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
3 h
Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels and the Hendrick 5 are who we say they are
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
7 h
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe