US GP: BMW Sauber Friday practice notes

The BMW Sauber F1 Team made a good start to its US Grand Prix weekend with all the drivers feeling confident the car can be competitive on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Robert Kubica was second quickest in the final session, while Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve were 13th and 16th respectively.

Robert Kubica:

"This morning we had some problems with the set up but this afternoon it was much better. I have done three long runs with the main goal to see how the tyres would perform and what the degradation would be. We have a good pace, some things to resolve still but it was much better than this morning."

Nick Heidfeld:

"In the first session I didn’t do a timed lap, and for the afternoon we made a change to the car. Unfortunately the positive result was not shown in the lap times because I was stuck in traffic on my second outing. I tried to find a clear lap by dropping back, but even this didn’t work."

Jacques Villeneuve:

"The car is competitive but the track is a little bit slippery. We need to work on the set up a little bit, but I think we should be all right for the rest of the weekend."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):

"It was a successful first practice day without technical problems. What Robert discovered for the set-up in the first session was transferred to the other cars for the second session."

"Jacques and Nick continued this set-up work in the second free practice, while Robert concentrated on tyre evaluation over long runs. The only unknown quantity for the weekend remains the weather. For Saturday thunder and lightning is predicted, but we do not have a lot of experience of these conditions on this track or our tyres."

Willy Ramp (Technical Director Chassis):

"As usual Robert was concentrating on tyre evaluation. The long runs brought us very good results, which makes our decision easy. Jacques and Nick have been working on set up, which here at Indianapolis is always a special challenge."

"The infield is pretty much like Monaco, while the long straight reminds us of Monza. We will have to find a compromise to decide on a set up that is okay for both these characteristics."

Robert Kubica
Chassis: BMW Sauber F1.06-03
Engine: BMW P86
1st Practice: 3rd, 1:13.008
2nd Practice: 2nd, 1:12.809

Nick Heidfeld
Chassis: BMW Sauber F1.06-04
Engine: BMW P86
1st Practice: No time
2nd Practice: 13th, 1:13.725

Jacques Villeneuve
Chassis: BMW Sauber F1.06-02
Engine: BMW P86
1st Practice: No time
2nd Practice: 16th, 1:13.857

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