BMW Sauber F1.08
Encyclopedia
The BMW Sauber F1.08 is a Formula One
racing car used by the BMW Sauber team during the 2008 Formula One season
.
The F1.08 was launched on January 14, 2008 in Munich. The car was taken out for the first time at the Valencia circuit a day after the launch, where Nick Heidfeld took the car for a brief spin at BMW Welt
, the BMW delivery center in Munich. The first track outing of the F1.08 was given to Robert Kubica.
who left the team to go to Honda F1 in January 2008.
, and Cadence Design Systems
have also became an official equipment supplier. The team continues to be sponsored and supported by Petronas
, Intel, Certina
, Dell
and Credit Suisse
. The front nose livery also similar to BMW Williams FW22
's nose livery.
ECU that prevents the use of driving aids such as traction control
and engine braking
.
in 2007, but it instead has a triple profile. The team has also tested 'antlers': vertical fins on the nosecone of the F1.08 in testing.
for the duration of the three day test with the exception of the first day where Heidfeld drove the F1.07B. However when the team returned to the same circuit to test the F1.08 on 23 January, it was shown to be slow in comparison to its competitors and the team's previous pace. Technical director Willy Rampf played down rumors of a lack of speed and confirmed that the car will be running in a revised form at the Barcelona test on 1 to 3 February 2008.
, 5.4 seconds behind the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. At the next race in Malaysia
Robert Kubica finished second, 19.5 seconds behind Kimi Räikkönen and his Ferrari; Nick Heidfeld also took the fastest lap. At the Bahrain
Grand Prix Kubica took pole, just 0.027 seconds ahead of Ferrari driver Felipe Massa. In the race, however, Kubica started badly and lost ground to Massa in the first corner and to Raikkonen early in the race as well. Kubica and Heidfeld finished behind both Ferarris, in 3rd and 4th places, respectively.
After the Bahrain race BMW Sauber were leading the Constructors' Championship, a point ahead of Ferrari and two ahead of McLaren-Merecedes.
, Kubica finished 4th, whilst Heidfeld finished out of the points in 9th. In Turkey
, both BMW Sauber cars finished 4th and 5th, with Kubica finishing in 4th. However, Kubica was to make a great impact at the rain impacted and incident laden Monaco Grand Prix
, he equalled Heidfeld's Australian Grand Prix finish of 2nd, just 3 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, Heidfeld finished 14th 4 laps down with chassis problems.
The best result of the season came at the Canadian Grand Prix
, with Kubica qualifying on the front row of the grid, on second behind Lewis Hamilton, with Heidfeld qualifying in 8th. In the race Kubica was in second 7 seconds behind Hamilton when a safety car situation caused by Sutil, the top cars pitted in under safety car, Kubica and Räikkönen stopped at the end of the pit lane, both leading Hamilton out of the pits, only for a red light to be on, Räikkönen and Kubica stopped, but only for Hamilton to crash into the rear of Räikkönen, with Rosberg crashing into the rear of Hamilton. Räikkönen, and Hamilton retired, with Rosberg only needing a new nose, Kubica emerged unscathed.
Heidfeld led after the only safety car period, when he pitted he had around a 25 second lead over Kubica, who was down in around 10th at the time. Heidfeld was released in front of his team mate, but was slow due to fueling levels and was passed by Kubica a lap later.
Kubica then built up a large lead, pitted and came out ahead of Heidfeld, this was the way it would stay for the rest of the race, with Kubica finishing in first, 16 seconds ahead of his BMW Sauber team mate who was around 8 seconds ahead of Red Bull driver David Coulthard.
who was leading the championship at that time but both drivers scored podium finishes and kept the team in third place in the constructors' championship, scoring more points than in the previous year.
describing it as "the worst [looking] Formula One car I have ever seen".
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...
racing car used by the BMW Sauber team during the 2008 Formula One season
2008 Formula One season
The 2008 Formula One season was the 59th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It began on 16 March and ended on 2 November with eighteen Grand Prix races....
.
Launch
BMW Welt
BMW Welt , is a multi-functional customer experience and exhibition facility of the BMW AG, located in Munich, Germany...
, the BMW delivery center in Munich. The first track outing of the F1.08 was given to Robert Kubica.
Designer change
This is the first BMW Sauber to not be designed by Jörg ZanderJörg Zander
Jörg Zander is a German Formula One car chief designer.Zander graduated from Cologne University in 1990 before joining Toyota...
who left the team to go to Honda F1 in January 2008.
Livery and sponsorship
For the 2008 season, BMW Sauber has kept the white and navy livery used on its cars in 2006 and 2007. However, O2 has been replaced by T-SystemsT-Systems
T-Systems is a worldwide operating ICT provider founded in October 2000. It belongs to Deutsche Telekom AG and its central office is located in Bonn, Germany. Within Deutsche Telekom AG it is responsible for multinational corporations and public-sector institutions. It operates in more than 20...
, and Cadence Design Systems
Cadence Design Systems
Cadence Design Systems, Inc is an electronic design automation software and engineering services company, founded in 1988 by the merger of SDA Systems and ECAD, Inc...
have also became an official equipment supplier. The team continues to be sponsored and supported by Petronas
Petronas
PETRONAS, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and...
, Intel, Certina
Certina
Certina Kurth Frères SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker company founded in Grenchen, 1888, by Adolf and Alfred Kurth, and currently an affiliate company of the Swatch Group.-History:...
, Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
and Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse
The Credit Suisse Group AG is a Swiss multinational financial services company headquartered in Zurich, with more than 250 branches in Switzerland and operations in more than 50 countries.-History:...
. The front nose livery also similar to BMW Williams FW22
Williams FW22
The Williams FW22 was the car with which the Williams Formula One team used to compete in the 2000 Formula One season. It also marked the first year of the team's collaboration with BMW as an engine supplier, a partnership which would last for the next five seasons.The car proved to be extremely...
's nose livery.
Rules changes
The FIA have implemented a set of rules for the 2008 season that will see all teams use one gearbox for four races and a standard McLaren Electronic SystemsMcLaren Electronic Systems
McLaren Electronic Systems is a member of the McLaren Group that controls Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, a Formula One racing team and constructor....
ECU that prevents the use of driving aids such as traction control
Traction control system
A traction control system , also known as anti-slip regulation , is typically a secondary function of the anti-lock braking system on production motor vehicles, designed to prevent loss of traction of driven road wheels...
and engine braking
Engine braking
Engine braking is where the retarding forces within an engine are used to slow a vehicle down, as opposed to using an external braking mechanism, for example friction brakes or magnetic brakes....
.
Aerodynamic and mechanical changes
The sidepod areas have undergone massive changes for 2008, along with a cleaning up of the area in front of the rear wing. This makes the airflow cleaner and smoother over the car to the rear wing, increasing downforce. The F1.08 also introduces a new front wing that is suspended above the nose. It is similar to the wing introduced on 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...
in 2007, but it instead has a triple profile. The team has also tested 'antlers': vertical fins on the nosecone of the F1.08 in testing.
2008 season
Early 2008 testing
The first run of the F1.08 was at an exclusive three day test at the Valencia circuit in Spain. Heidfeld had the duty of testing the F1.08 whilst teammate Kubica drove the F1.07BBMW Sauber F1.07
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...
for the duration of the three day test with the exception of the first day where Heidfeld drove the F1.07B. However when the team returned to the same circuit to test the F1.08 on 23 January, it was shown to be slow in comparison to its competitors and the team's previous pace. Technical director Willy Rampf played down rumors of a lack of speed and confirmed that the car will be running in a revised form at the Barcelona test on 1 to 3 February 2008.
Successful start to season
The BMW Sauber team enjoyed a successful start to the 2008 season with Nick Heidfeld finishing second in Melbourne2008 Australian Grand Prix
The 2008 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 16 March 2008 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia. It was the first race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 58 laps, was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after...
, 5.4 seconds behind the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. At the next race in Malaysia
2008 Malaysian Grand Prix
The 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on March 23, 2008 at the Sepang International Circuit, Sepang, Malaysia. It was the 2nd race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 56 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting...
Robert Kubica finished second, 19.5 seconds behind Kimi Räikkönen and his Ferrari; Nick Heidfeld also took the fastest lap. At the Bahrain
2008 Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 6, 2008 at the Bahrain International Circuit, in Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the third race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 57 laps, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team...
Grand Prix Kubica took pole, just 0.027 seconds ahead of Ferrari driver Felipe Massa. In the race, however, Kubica started badly and lost ground to Massa in the first corner and to Raikkonen early in the race as well. Kubica and Heidfeld finished behind both Ferarris, in 3rd and 4th places, respectively.
After the Bahrain race BMW Sauber were leading the Constructors' Championship, a point ahead of Ferrari and two ahead of McLaren-Merecedes.
Early middle season
After the successful start of the 2008 season, the BMW Sauber team enjoyed being a strong performer at the front of the grid. At Barcelona2008 Spanish Grand Prix
The 2008 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 27, 2008 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Spain. It was the fourth race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 66 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting from pole position...
, Kubica finished 4th, whilst Heidfeld finished out of the points in 9th. In Turkey
2008 Turkish Grand Prix
The 2008 Turkish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 11, 2008 at the Istanbul Racing Circuit, Istanbul, Turkey. It was the fifth race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 58 laps, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team after starting from pole...
, both BMW Sauber cars finished 4th and 5th, with Kubica finishing in 4th. However, Kubica was to make a great impact at the rain impacted and incident laden Monaco Grand Prix
2008 Monaco Grand Prix
The 2008 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 25, 2008, at the Circuit de Monaco; contested over 76 laps, it was the sixth race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race was won by the season's eventual Drivers' Champion, Lewis Hamilton, for the McLaren team...
, he equalled Heidfeld's Australian Grand Prix finish of 2nd, just 3 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, Heidfeld finished 14th 4 laps down with chassis problems.
First win and 1-2 finish in Canada
2008 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2008 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 8, 2008 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada. It was the 7th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 70 laps, was won by Robert Kubica for the BMW Sauber team after starting from...
, with Kubica qualifying on the front row of the grid, on second behind Lewis Hamilton, with Heidfeld qualifying in 8th. In the race Kubica was in second 7 seconds behind Hamilton when a safety car situation caused by Sutil, the top cars pitted in under safety car, Kubica and Räikkönen stopped at the end of the pit lane, both leading Hamilton out of the pits, only for a red light to be on, Räikkönen and Kubica stopped, but only for Hamilton to crash into the rear of Räikkönen, with Rosberg crashing into the rear of Hamilton. Räikkönen, and Hamilton retired, with Rosberg only needing a new nose, Kubica emerged unscathed.
Heidfeld led after the only safety car period, when he pitted he had around a 25 second lead over Kubica, who was down in around 10th at the time. Heidfeld was released in front of his team mate, but was slow due to fueling levels and was passed by Kubica a lap later.
Kubica then built up a large lead, pitted and came out ahead of Heidfeld, this was the way it would stay for the rest of the race, with Kubica finishing in first, 16 seconds ahead of his BMW Sauber team mate who was around 8 seconds ahead of Red Bull driver David Coulthard.
Remainder of season
The F1.08 lost its performance somewhat relative to Ferrari and McLaren over the remainder of 2008 as they started to focus to the 2009 season that irritated Robert KubicaRobert 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...
who was leading the championship at that time but both drivers scored podium finishes and kept the team in third place in the constructors' championship, scoring more points than in the previous year.
Off-season testing
A "B"-spec version of the F1.08 was used to evaluate aerodynamics, slick tyres and a prototype Kinetic Energy Recovery System. BMW Sauber were the first team to have tested all of these new features at the same time during a public F1 testing session. The radically different appearance of the hybrid chassis compared to the status quo has been an attention-getting topic, with BMW Sauber test driver Christian KlienChristian Klien
Christian Klien is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver. In total he has scored 14 points in Formula One.Klien currently drives for Aston Martin Racing in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup-Racing career:...
describing it as "the worst [looking] Formula One car I have ever seen".
Complete Formula One results
(results in bold indicate pole position) (results in italics indicate fastest lap)| Year | Team | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 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 2008 Australian Grand Prix The 2008 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 16 March 2008 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia. It was the first race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 58 laps, was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after... |
MAL 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix The 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on March 23, 2008 at the Sepang International Circuit, Sepang, Malaysia. It was the 2nd race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 56 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting... |
BHR 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix The 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 6, 2008 at the Bahrain International Circuit, in Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the third race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 57 laps, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team... |
ESP 2008 Spanish Grand Prix The 2008 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 27, 2008 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Spain. It was the fourth race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 66 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting from pole position... |
TUR 2008 Turkish Grand Prix The 2008 Turkish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 11, 2008 at the Istanbul Racing Circuit, Istanbul, Turkey. It was the fifth race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 58 laps, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team after starting from pole... |
MON 2008 Monaco Grand Prix The 2008 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 25, 2008, at the Circuit de Monaco; contested over 76 laps, it was the sixth race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race was won by the season's eventual Drivers' Champion, Lewis Hamilton, for the McLaren team... |
CAN 2008 Canadian Grand Prix The 2008 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 8, 2008 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada. It was the 7th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 70 laps, was won by Robert Kubica for the BMW Sauber team after starting from... |
FRA 2008 French Grand Prix The 2008 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 22, 2008 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France. This race is the last French Grand Prix. It was the eighth race of the 2008 Formula One season... |
GBR 2008 British Grand Prix The 2008 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 6 July 2008 at the Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, England. It was the 9th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 60 laps, was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after starting from fourth... |
GER 2008 German Grand Prix The 2008 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 20, 2008 at the Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany. It was the 10th race of the 2008 Formula One season and was contested over 67 laps. It was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after starting from pole... |
HUN 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 3, 2008, at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, near Budapest, Hungary. It was the 11th race of the 2008 Formula One season. Contested over 70 laps, the race was won by Heikki Kovalainen for the McLaren team, from a second... |
EUR 2008 European Grand Prix The 2008 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 24, 2008 at the Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia, Spain. It was the 12th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 57 laps, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team after starting from pole... |
BEL 2008 Belgian Grand Prix The 2008 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 7, 2008, at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps near the town of Spa, Belgium. It was the 13th race of the 2008 Formula One season... |
ITA 2008 Italian Grand Prix The 2008 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 14, 2008 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy. It was the 14th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 53 laps, was won by Sebastian Vettel for the Toro Rosso team after starting... |
SIN 2008 Singapore Grand Prix The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, formally known as the 2008 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, was a Formula One race held on 28 September 2008 at the newly built Marina Bay Street Circuit in Marina Bay, Singapore... |
JPN 2008 Japanese Grand Prix The 2008 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 12, 2008, at the Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Japan. It was the 16th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 67 laps, was won by Fernando Alonso for the Renault team from fourth position on the starting... |
CHN 2008 Chinese Grand Prix The 2008 Chinese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 19, 2008 at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China. It was the 17th and penultimate race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 56 laps, was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after... |
BRA 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on November 2, 2008, at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos, in São Paulo, Brazil. It was the 18th and final race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 71 laps, was won by Ferrari driver Felipe Massa... |
135 | 3rd | |||
| 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... |
2 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 10 | ||||||
| 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... |
Ret | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | Ret | 7 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 11 |
External links
- BMW Sauber F1.08. Factsheet - bmw-sauber-f1.com