Assessment: BMW Sauber makes its return to the points

The restart was difficult for the BMW Sauber team, with the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads following the decision by BMW Motorsport to withdraw from F1. That said, the German team remained focused for the European Grand Prix, and the new developments allowed the car to make significant progress.

After a good qualifying session – including a participation in Q3, the first since Turkey – the drivers took advantage of a good race pace to climb up the hierarchy. Starting 10th, Kubica benefited from Vettel’s retirement and a good strategy to reach the points zone and score one point. Meanwhile, Heidfeld was hampered by traffic and finished in the same position from which he started: 11th.

Robert Kubica – 8th:

I had to start the race from a very bad position because I was in the middle of the pack and we were all very close to each other in the first corners. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to gain positions at the start, and I even lost a place to Nick. But during the race, my pace was good. Although my stints were shorter, I was still able to pass Mark Webber during his last stop, which was very good.

Nick Heidfeld – 11th:

For me, the result is quite disappointing because it doesn’t reveal what I could achieve today. After a good start, I was able to follow the pace of the guys in front of me, but I let Robert go because he had a lighter fuel load. I then had to defend my position against Adrian Sutil and lost contact with the leading group. That was crucial because after his pit stop, Heikki Kovalainen came out of the pits ahead of me, and I couldn’t take advantage of my car being lighter at that moment.

Mario Theissen – Director:

« Although we are in a very difficult situation with BMW’s withdrawal from the sport, the team really did a very good job throughout the weekend. Starting 10th and 11th on the grid was already a good improvement compared to previous races. During the race, Robert was able to climb to 8th place and score a point. In reality, Nick had the best chance to make his way forward starting from 11th on the grid because he was able to choose his strategy. But he got stuck in traffic and thus was unable to show what he was capable of. The result gives us a boost for the upcoming races and for the next developments planned for the end of the season. »