Saturday – BMW had announced it, its return is remarkable

The third and final practice session this morning went perfectly for Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld, the two BMW drivers. The Polish driver set the fastest time while the German finished in 8th place.

There were therefore high hopes for the qualifying rounds, and both drivers did not disappoint their team’s members. Tomorrow, Kubica will start from 3rd place and Heidfeld from 8th. A return to the forefront that was necessary to boost BMW-Sauber in the championships.

Robert Kubica – 1st and 3rd:

« It was a very good qualifying session for the team and myself. After some unlucky races, the car’s pace in Valencia is not too bad. However, there is still a small gap compared to Ferrari and McLaren. »

« At the end of the session, there were a few drops of rain, but it did not affect the result. The choice of tires was perfect: I used the hardest compound in Q1 and the softest compounds in Q2 and Q3. »

Nick Heidfeld – 8th and 8th:

Eighth in qualifying is not an extraordinary result but I think it was the maximum I could do today. In Q1, I had a little scare with Timo Glock. I was afraid my session was ruined but fortunately, I was able to do a second lap right afterward and it was quite good.

« Q2 went well. Generally speaking, I am much happier with my car today. Yesterday, I was struggling a lot but since then we have made a number of modifications. »

Mario Theissen – BMW Motorsport Director:

« On this new demanding track, Robert put in a great qualifying performance and perfectly defended his position in Q3 to line up on the second row of the grid. »

« Nick improved in the second part of the qualifications and finishes Q3 with an overall time more than honorable. His last lap wasn’t perfect as he lost a bit of time in the second sector. Anyway, an eighth place is satisfying. We didn’t have any technical issues during the qualifications.