BMW Sauber F1.07
Encyclopedia
The BMW Sauber F1.07 is a Formula One
single-seater racing car built by BMW Sauber for the 2007 Formula One season
. The car was the first to have been designed fully by BMW, following their purchase of the former Sauber
team. Initial pre-season testing was very positive, with many speculating that BMW could surprise some of the top teams with their performances once the season got underway.
).
car. This is a requirement of the new homologation
rules introduced by the FIA.
The BMW Sauber team is adopting a new seamless shift mechanism, known as QuickShift, for its gearbox.
and Renault
, that had to drop their tobacco sponsorship. This means the 2007 cars had a similar livery to that of the 2006 design with only subtle changes.
, scoring 2 podium positions in a season in which 46 of the possible 51 podium positions were occupied by Scuderia Ferrari
and McLaren
in a dominant season. Both of these were by Nick Heidfeld
- a 2nd at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix
and a 3rd at the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix
. However, they scored points on 26 out of a possible 34 occasions. They scored points with at least one car in every single race, and points with both cars six races in a row between the French
and Italian
Grand Prix. Robert Kubica
had 4th places in Spain
, France
and Britain
, which were his best results. Sebastian Vettel
scored points for 8th place in his only appearance for the team, at the United States Grand Prix
.
Heidfeld was the only driver to frequently break the Ferrari/McLaren deadlock at the front of qualifying, with his best result being 2nd on the grid in Hungary. The BMW Sauber cars qualified in the top 10 in every race apart from Kubica qualifying 14th in Belgium
.
The car was also involved in one of the biggest crashes of the modern era, Kubica's at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix
. He was replaced by future world champion Vettel for one race.
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
single-seater racing car built by BMW Sauber for the 2007 Formula One season
2007 Formula One season
The 2007 Formula One season was the 58th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship, which began on 18 March and ended on 21 October after seventeen events. The Drivers' Championship was won by Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen by one point at the...
. The car was the first to have been designed fully by BMW, following their purchase of the former Sauber
Sauber
Sauber F1 Team is a Swiss Formula One team. It was founded in the 1970s by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993....
team. Initial pre-season testing was very positive, with many speculating that BMW could surprise some of the top teams with their performances once the season got underway.
Aerodynamics
The rear wing is mounted by the endplates, rather than the pylon-mounted arrangement used by some rivals' cars (such as the McLaren MP4-22McLaren MP4-22
The McLaren MP4-22 was Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes' Formula One car for the 2007 Formula One season. It was revealed in testing at Circuit de Valencia in Spain on 15 January 2007...
).
Engine and gearbox
The engine's name, P86/7, is indicative of the fact that it is not a new engine, since it is heavily based on the P86 used in the 2006 F1.06BMW Sauber F1.06
The BMW Sauber F1.06 was the car with which the BMW Sauber team competed in the Formula One season. It was driven by Nick Heidfeld, who joined from BMW Williams, and Jacques Villeneuve, who had spent one season with the team before it was bought by BMW. However, the Canadian was replaced by...
car. This is a requirement of the new homologation
Homologation
Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
rules introduced by the FIA.
The BMW Sauber team is adopting a new seamless shift mechanism, known as QuickShift, for its gearbox.
Livery
BMW Sauber went into the 2007 season with sponsorship continuity; unlike many rival teams, such as McLaren, HondaHonda F1
Honda Racing F1 Team was a Formula One team run by Japanese car manufacturer Honda, from 1964 to 1968 and from 2006 to 2008. Honda's involvement in F1 began with the 1964 season; their withdrawal in 1968 was precipitated by the death of Honda driver Jo Schlesser during the 1968 French Grand Prix. ...
and Renault
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
, that had to drop their tobacco sponsorship. This means the 2007 cars had a similar livery to that of the 2006 design with only subtle changes.
Performance
The car was a significant step up from 's F1.06BMW Sauber F1.06
The BMW Sauber F1.06 was the car with which the BMW Sauber team competed in the Formula One season. It was driven by Nick Heidfeld, who joined from BMW Williams, and Jacques Villeneuve, who had spent one season with the team before it was bought by BMW. However, the Canadian was replaced by...
, scoring 2 podium positions in a season in which 46 of the possible 51 podium positions were occupied by Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
and McLaren
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup...
in a dominant season. Both of these were by Nick Heidfeld
Nick Heidfeld
Nick Lars Heidfeld is a German racing driver.Despite scoring regular podium finishes in and , Heidfeld has yet to win a race since entering Formula One in . This means that amongst the current drivers, he has had the most GP starts without standing at the top spot on the podium...
- a 2nd at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix
2007 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2007 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 June 2007, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. It was the sixth race of the 2007 Formula One season...
and a 3rd at the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix
2007 Hungarian Grand Prix
The 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix was the eleventh race of the 2007 Formula One season, held between 3 to 5 August at the Hungaroring racing track in Budapest...
. However, they scored points on 26 out of a possible 34 occasions. They scored points with at least one car in every single race, and points with both cars six races in a row between the French
2007 French Grand Prix
The 2007 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 1, 2007 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours, France. It was the eighth race of the 2007 Formula One season. The race, contested over 70 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting from...
and Italian
2007 Italian Grand Prix
The 2007 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held from 7 to 9 September 2007 at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy. It was the thirteenth race of the 2007 Formula One season....
Grand Prix. Robert Kubica
Robert Kubica
Robert Józef Kubica is the first Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006...
had 4th places in Spain
2007 Spanish Grand Prix
The 2007 Gran Premio de España Telefónica was a Formula One motor race, fourth round of the 2007 Formula One season, won by Felipe Massa. It was held on the weekend of 11–13 May at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.-Background:...
, France
2007 French Grand Prix
The 2007 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 1, 2007 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours, France. It was the eighth race of the 2007 Formula One season. The race, contested over 70 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting from...
and Britain
2007 British Grand Prix
The 2007 British Grand Prix was the ninth race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held from July 6 to July 8 at the Silverstone Circuit. The race was won by Kimi Räikkönen after overtaking pole position driver Lewis Hamilton during the first round of pit stops...
, which were his best results. Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel is a German Formula One racing driver, currently driving for Red Bull Racing. He is the current World Champion, having won the championship in and ....
scored points for 8th place in his only appearance for the team, at the United States Grand Prix
2007 United States Grand Prix
The 2007 United States Grand Prix was the seventh race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was also the last Formula 1 race held in the United States. It was held on 15–17 June at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway...
.
Heidfeld was the only driver to frequently break the Ferrari/McLaren deadlock at the front of qualifying, with his best result being 2nd on the grid in Hungary. The BMW Sauber cars qualified in the top 10 in every race apart from Kubica qualifying 14th in Belgium
2007 Belgian Grand Prix
The 2007 Belgian Grand Prix was the fourteenth race of the 2007 Formula One season, returning to the F1 calendar after a year's absence. It was held on 16 September at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa, Belgium....
.
The car was also involved in one of the biggest crashes of the modern era, Kubica's at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix
2007 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2007 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 June 2007, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. It was the sixth race of the 2007 Formula One season...
. He was replaced by future world champion Vettel for one race.
Complete Formula One results
(results in bold indicate pole position)| Year | Team | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW Sauber | BMW V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
AUS 2007 Australian Grand Prix The 2007 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 18 March 2007 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia. It was the first race of the 2007 Formula One season. The race, contested over 58 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after... |
MAL 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix The IX Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 8 April 2007 at the Sepang International Circuit and the second race of the 2007 Formula One season. Reigning world champion Fernando Alonso won the race from second on the grid, with McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton... |
BHR 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix The 2007 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix is a Formula One motor race and is the third round of the 2007 Formula One season. It took place on the weekend of the 13–15 April at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain.... |
ESP 2007 Spanish Grand Prix The 2007 Gran Premio de España Telefónica was a Formula One motor race, fourth round of the 2007 Formula One season, won by Felipe Massa. It was held on the weekend of 11–13 May at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.-Background:... |
MON 2007 Monaco Grand Prix The 2007 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race and was the fifth round of the 2007 Formula One season. It took place from 24–27 May at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo. The race itself commenced at 14:00 CET , Sunday, May 27, and lasted about 1 hour and 40 minutes... |
CAN 2007 Canadian Grand Prix The 2007 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 June 2007, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. It was the sixth race of the 2007 Formula One season... |
USA 2007 United States Grand Prix The 2007 United States Grand Prix was the seventh race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was also the last Formula 1 race held in the United States. It was held on 15–17 June at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway... |
FRA 2007 French Grand Prix The 2007 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 1, 2007 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours, France. It was the eighth race of the 2007 Formula One season. The race, contested over 70 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting from... |
GBR 2007 British Grand Prix The 2007 British Grand Prix was the ninth race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held from July 6 to July 8 at the Silverstone Circuit. The race was won by Kimi Räikkönen after overtaking pole position driver Lewis Hamilton during the first round of pit stops... |
EUR 2007 European Grand Prix The 2007 European Grand Prix was the tenth race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held from 20 to July 22 at the Nürburgring.... |
HUN 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix was the eleventh race of the 2007 Formula One season, held between 3 to 5 August at the Hungaroring racing track in Budapest... |
TUR 2007 Turkish Grand Prix The 2007 Turkish Grand Prix was the twelfth race of the 2007 Formula One season. Won by Felipe Massa, it was held from 24 to August 26 at the Istanbul Park in Istanbul. It was the third time a Formula One race had been held here... |
ITA 2007 Italian Grand Prix The 2007 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held from 7 to 9 September 2007 at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy. It was the thirteenth race of the 2007 Formula One season.... |
BEL 2007 Belgian Grand Prix The 2007 Belgian Grand Prix was the fourteenth race of the 2007 Formula One season, returning to the F1 calendar after a year's absence. It was held on 16 September at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa, Belgium.... |
JPN 2007 Japanese Grand Prix The 2007 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 30 September, 2007 at the Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Shizuoka. The race, contested over 67 laps, was the fifteenth round of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held at the recently revised track in very heavy rain and misty conditions... |
CHN 2007 Chinese Grand Prix The 2007 Chinese Grand Prix was the sixteenth race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held on 5–7 October at Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China. The race was won by Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen with Fernando Alonso finishing second and Felipe Massa finishing third... |
BRA 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix was the seventeenth and last race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held from 19 to October 21 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo. The Championship was decided in the race, which was won by Kimi Räikkönen... |
101 | 2nd | |||
| Heidfeld Nick Heidfeld Nick Lars Heidfeld is a German racing driver.Despite scoring regular podium finishes in and , Heidfeld has yet to win a race since entering Formula One in . This means that amongst the current drivers, he has had the most GP starts without standing at the top spot on the podium... |
4 | 4 | 4 | Ret | 6 | 2 | Ret | 5 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 7 | 6 | ||||||
| Kubica Robert Kubica Robert Józef Kubica is the first Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006... |
Ret | 18 | 6 | 4 | 5 | Ret | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 7 | Ret | 5 | |||||||
| Vettel Sebastian Vettel Sebastian Vettel is a German Formula One racing driver, currently driving for Red Bull Racing. He is the current World Champion, having won the championship in and .... |
TD | TD | 8 |
External links
- F1.07 technical detail - F1Technical.com