Bridgestone’s soft tyre proved to be the fastest rubber on track at Sepang for the first day of the Malaysian Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen’s Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro set the day’s fastest lap time in the afternoon practice session held in hot but cloudy weather conditions. AT&T Williams driver Nico Rosberg used the hard compound to go fastest in the morning session.
The hot and humid 5.54km Sepang circuit provided a challenge for competitors still mastering the 2009 specification cars and Bridgestone’s latest slick tyres and new tyre allocations. Today was the first time that Bridgestone’s hard compound tyre has been used by teams, and the first time a Bridgestone soft compound has been used at Malaysia.
Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today’s running was interesting as it was the first time that the teams have used the hard compound. This tyre worked very much as expected, in line with our predictions, so we are very pleased. As designed, this tyre takes longer to warm-up than the soft, but it looks to deliver good constant performance once in its temperature working range.

How durable do you expect the soft compound to be in Malaysia?
“Today we saw most running with the soft compound take place in the afternoon session, when track
temperatures were dropping. We did not see the same level of drop off as we did in Australia with the super soft compound. Also, we did not see the same amount of graining as we did last weekend, which should make life easier in this respect for the drivers here. Sunday’s race does not start until 17:00 hrs, so we do not expect extreme heat like we have seen in Malaysia in the past, which should make life less difficult for the tyres.”
Stats of the Day

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

2009 Australian Grand Prix Sunday

It was a mixed afternoon for the ING Renault F1 Team as Fernando Alonso finished in 6th position, while teammate Nelson Piquet retired from the race in the early stages.

In a race punctuated by a safety car period, Fernando steadily made up for ground that he had lost on the first lap. He enjoyed a combative race to emerge in the points during his final stint and benefited from the late race incidents. Having secured three points, the team now turns its attention to next week’s Malaysian Grand Prix determined to deliver a more competitive performance.

Fernando Alonso P6
First stint: 19 laps, prime tyres (hard)
Second stint: 33 laps, prime tyres (hard)
Third stint: 6 laps, option tyres

Fernando: “6th place is not the best result, but in a way we have to be happy because we started the race in a difficult position and I was pushed wide at turn 1 onto the grass and so I dropped to the back of the pack. After that, it was difficult and so it’s great to score points. With what happened during the race, the incidents and the safety car, we managed to finish 6th. In terms of the overall results and looking at our competitors, we have to be happy with the result. With the KERS I didn’t feel a big difference and I was a little bit disappointed at how it worked. We also need to work on the tyres a bit more at the next race.”

Nelson Piquet DNF
First stint: 19 laps, prime tyres (hard)

Nelson: “I was really happy because we were lucky at the beginning of the race to gain some positions. The car was good and I was having a consistent drive.  But when the safety car came out I started to have some problems with the brakes. I had a good restart and overtook Nico Rosberg, but when I touched the brakes again they were gone. I spun out and I was lucky I ended up in the gravel, so there was no damage to myself or the car. The car was not as competitive as we wanted it to be in the race but we were still running in the top 8. The Malaysian circuit should suit us better and I’m sure that we can get a good result there next week.”

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director ING Renault F1 Team
“The three points scored by Fernando are not a great consolation for what has been a disappointing weekend for us. We were just not competitive enough and our qualifying performance penalised us for the race. Fernando lost several positions at the start because of the first corner incident which he could not avoid. That said, our two drivers were consistent and tried to make the most of the situation. Nelson made a good start and his race was very promising, but a technical problem unfortunately brought his race to an end. It’s only the first Grand Prix and our intention is to work hard to fight back quickly, starting at the next Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
“Nelson’s accident appears to have been caused by a problem with the brake system, although as yet we don’t know what that might be. It’s a shame because he was in a reasonable position. We are clearly not as competitive as we need to be and there is a lot of work to be done to get to the front.”

Remi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations
“A mixed result this afternoon with the retirement of Nelson and we will need to look into why he couldn’t finish. We would have been able to do something good with Nelson who had a great start to the race. I think he could have been on the podium, so it’s a shame. We finished 6th with Fernando and when you consider the level of competitiveness that we have shown this weekend, it’s not a bad result. We know that we have to do better and so we will take these points and work hard to try and get a strong result at the next race.”

www.ing-renaultf1.com

Melbourne (AUS). Das BMW Sauber F1 Team erlebte einen enttäuschenden Start in die Saison 2009 – beide F1.09 waren in Unfälle verwickelt. Für Nick Heidfeld war das Rennen schon in der ersten Kurve gelaufen, nachdem ein Konkurrent in ihn reingeschoben worden war. Heidfeld brachte sein beschädigtes Auto als Elfter ins Ziel. Für seinen Teamkollegen Robert Kubica verlief der Große Preis von Australien noch weit dramatischer. Drei Runden vor Schluss griff er im Kampf um Platz zwei Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) an. Beide Autos berührten sich und fielen nach dem Unfall aus.
Nick Heidfeld: 11.
BMW Sauber F1.09-04 / BMW P86/9 (KERS)
Schnellste Runde: 1.28,283 min in Rd. 48 (fünftschnellste insgesamt)
„Das Ergebnis heute ist extrem enttäuschend für mich. Ich hatte so einen guten Start, konnte gleich ein paar Positionen gutmachen, und auch meine Rennstrategie war viel versprechend. In der Anbremszone vor der ersten Kurve habe ich mich eigentlich recht sicher gefühlt. Ich sah weder rechts noch links ein Auto direkt neben mir und habe mich mittig auf der Fahrbahn gehalten. Aber dann hat es plötzlich ‘Bumm’ gemacht. Ich habe an der Box neue Reifen und einen neuen Frontflügel geholt, aber der Schaden war erheblich größer und das Auto nachher kaum noch zu fahren. Ich denke, das KERS hat mir wenigstens etwas geholfen, mit dem langsamen Auto meine Position zu verteidigen. Aber am Ende ist das nicht viel wert, wen interessiert es schon, ob man Elfter oder 13. wird.“
Robert Kubica: Unfall
BMW Sauber F1.09-03 / BMW P86/9
Schnellste Runde: 1.27,988 min in Rd. 36 (zweitschnellste insgesamt)
„Was für eine Enttäuschung! Ich hätte eine gute Chance gehabt, dieses Rennen zu gewinnen, denn Jenson Button und Sebastian Vettel fuhren auf der weicheren Gummimischung und hatten Probleme, während ich mit den harten Reifen viel schneller war. Sebastian fuhr in Kurve eins eine weite Linie und bremste anschließend früh. Ich war schon vorne, doch er wollte mich nicht vorbei lassen. Dann hatte er Untersteuern und berührte mich. Mein Frontflügel rutschte unters Auto, weshalb ich in Kurve fünf abflog. Ich denke, dass Sebastian ein wenig zu optimistisch war. Wäre das in der letzten Kurve geschehen, okay, aber es waren noch drei Runden zu fahren, und er hatte keine realistische Chance, seine Position zu verteidigen, weil ich viel schneller war. Wir beide hatten ein gutes Wochenende bis zu diesem Moment, und nun stehen wir mit leeren Händen da. Das ist wirklich schade! Mein Auto war sehr gut, vor allem im zweiten Stint, als ich die schnellsten Runden fuhr. So ist Racing!“
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Direktor):
„Es war wie schon so oft in Melbourne ein sehr ereignisreiches Rennen. Nick wurde bereits in der ersten Kurve um alle Chancen gebracht. Nach einer unverschuldeten Kollision hatte er nicht nur großen Rückstand, sondern auch eine beschädigte Aerodynamik, die ein Aufholen unmöglich machte. Robert hat ein exzellentes Rennen gezeigt und sich kurz vor Schluss in Schlagdistanz zur Spitze gebracht. Er war am Ende des Rennens auf harten Reifen unterwegs und hatte beste Chancen, die beiden vor ihm fahrenden Autos noch abzufangen und das Rennen zu gewinnen. Die Kollision kurz vor Schluss hat sowohl ihn als auch Sebastian Vettel um einen Podiumsplatz und beide Teams um wertvolle Punkte gebracht. Sehr positiv ist anzumerken, dass wir mit harten Reifen heute sehr schnell unterwegs waren.“
Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering):
„Das war ein turbulenter Saisonauftakt, insbesondere für uns. Nick fiel bereits unmittelbar nach dem Start nach einer unverschuldeten Kollision chancenlos zurück. Noch mehr Pech hatte Robert. Zunächst arbeitete er sich stetig nach vorn, bis er wenige Runden vor Schluss die beiden Führenden attackieren konnte. Aufgrund unserer Reifenwahl war Robert im letzten Stint mit harten Reifen unterwegs, die Konkurrenz vor uns hingegen mit weichen. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatten wir dadurch ein weitaus schnelleres Auto als die beiden Führenden. Bei dem Überholmanöver mit Sebastian Vettel lag Robert bereits vorn, als Sebastian in ihn reinrutschte. Das hat uns Platz zwei und womöglich sogar einen Sieg gekostet.“

www.bmw-sauber-f1.com

Bridgestone Potenza slick tyres made their grand prix return in the Australian Grand Prix where Jenson Button made the perfect debut for the Brawn GP team by using a medium-medium-super soft tyre strategy to win the first race of the season run to Formula One’s exciting new regulations.
Button took his race win leading team-mate Rubens Barrichello and Panasonic Toyota Racing driver Jarno Trulli across the line, however Trulli was later penalised for passing whilst behind the safety car, and fourth across the line Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) was awarded third. Barrichello used the same strategy as Button, whilst Hamilton started on the super soft tyre and twice changed to the medium. The latest specification cars and Bridgestone’s slick tyres meant an exciting and challenging 58 laps in Albert Park with the different performance of Bridgestone’s two compounds one of the talking points of the event.
Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
How was the first race of 2009 from Bridgestone’s perspective?
“Firstly, congratulations to Jenson Button and the Brawn GP team for winning and Rubens Barrichello for coming second in an exceptionally exciting race. Congratulations too, to the FIA for the new regulations and the teams for developing such exciting and quick new cars. This was a significant race as it shows that the changes for 2009 have made a big difference for Formula One.
Bridgestone’s slick tyres and our new allocation philosophy gave competitors a lot to think about and some managed better than others. Tyre strategy was crucial to making up places, and the key to getting a good result here was having a good setup with the super soft tyre as the performance of this tyre dropped off very quickly. The medium tyre was very robust and allowed good strategy and setup options for teams.”
What did you think of the different tyre strategies used?
“This was the first race for teams with our new tyres so there were many different approaches over the weekend. From Saturday’s data we knew that the super soft tyre was around 1.2 seconds faster than the medium over its first flying lap so those who started on the super soft had a good advantage at the beginning. However, those who used the super soft for their last stint benefitted from the improved track surface due to rubber laid during the race. We predicted that the super soft tyre would be around 5-6 seconds slower if it was used from the start of the race until half distance, which is why we did not see many long stints on this tyre.”
Stats of the Day

Bridgestone Potenza Driver Tyre Strategies
Rd.1 – Australian Grand Prix
In 2009, the tyre regulations stipulate that the two dry tyre specifications must be visibly
distinguishable from each other. At the Australian Grand Prix, the super soft compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres were marked with green bands on the sidewalls. The wet weather tyre was also marked with a green line in a groove.

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Bridgestone Motorsport’s Saturday Update

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre provided Jenson Button with the grip he needed to get pole position for
the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne as the Brawn GP team made its grand prix qualifying debut in
perfect fashion.
Button took pole with a lap of 1min 26.202secs in hot weather at Albert Park, edging out team-mate
Rubens Barrichello by just over three hundredths of a second. Track conditions were improved from
Friday, with more rubber down, but teams and drivers still struggled to find the best compromises
with the exciting new cars and Bridgestone’s slick tyres.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was very significant for Formula One as Brawn GP have achieved pole position with Jenson
Button in their first grand prix, so congratulations to them. The past two days have been very difficult
for teams and drivers as they are learning about their new cars and our new tyres on the variable
track surface of Albert Park. We have seen many different tyre wear characteristics, even from the
same cars, which highlights the many different setups being tried. The performance life of the super
soft was improved today, however it was mainly used with low fuel so we would expect better
performance in any case. The medium continues to look like a strong race tyre.”

How difficult will strategy be with the new allocation philosophy?
“Tyre strategy should be very difficult and this is the desired outcome. We have heard drivers say that
the super soft is too soft for here and the medium is too hard, and that is by design. In conjunction
with the desires of the FIA to enhance overtaking opportunities, we are not bringing optimum tyres
here in terms of their performance, instead we are bringing tyres which make the teams and drivers
think hard before they use them. When to use the medium or the super soft tyres in the race is not
the only consideration, as the setup of the car has to be a compromise in the race to allow it to work
with both tyres. It will be a lot of work for the engineers and drivers, but should provide a lot of
entertainment for the spectators and viewers.”

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

For the first time in twelve seasons, Bridgestone Potenza slick racing tyres graced a Formula One car at a grand prix as the 2009 season got underway in Melbourne, Australia for the ING Australian Grand Prix. AT&T Williams driver Nico Rosberg was the fastest man in both of the two Friday practice sessions at Albert Park, for round one of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship. Rosberg set a 1min 26.687secs using the medium compound in the first session with team-mate Kazuki Nakajima the second fastest, also using the medium, and Kimi Raikkonen (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro) the third quickest, using the super soft. In the later session Rosberg set a 1min 26.053secs, with Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP) second quickest and Jarno Trulli (Panasonic Toyota Racing) third quickest, all top three drivers using the super soft. Outlining the close competition in prospect for the season ahead, just over two seconds covered the entire field in this second practice session. Both sessions were held later in the day than previously at this event, due to the race start time change to 17:00 hrs on Sunday. The first session started at 12:30 hrs, and the second started at 16:30 hrs. The notoriously fickle Melbourne weather provided pleasant temperatures, but some way off the heat of last year. Track conditions were as expected early in the race meeting, with the lower levels of grip provided by the surface due to it only being used once a year for motor racing activity.   Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said: “Today was very exciting as, for the first time, we saw all the 2009 specification cars on track at a grand prix weekend, and it was also a very nostalgic day as we saw slick tyres in Melbourne. The first day of the season is always difficult for drivers, and the Albert Park circuit was quite dirty and slippery, as we expected. The super soft tyre will provide the big challenge for the weekend, and it performed largely as wanted, with an absolute lap time around a second faster than the medium, and quite rapid progression towards increasing lap times as it deteriorates. The dirty track did mean more graining than we predicted, but this will improve with a cleaner track and more rubber laid. The medium compound was very robust and will certainly be the main race tyre. As far as track conditions are concerned we expect more grip tomorrow and on Sunday.”

Stats of the Day Total amount of laps completed by all drivers: 1041 laps Average number of laps per driver: 52 laps Most laps by a driver: 83 – Glock (Toyota) Compounds used: Medium / Super Soft Fastest super soft compound time 1min 26.053secs (Rosberg – FP2) Fastest medium compound time 1min 26.142secs (Rosberg – FP2)

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Bridgestone starts a new era in Formula One as slick tyres return to Grand Prix racing for the first time in over eleven years when round one of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship gets under way with the ING Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park on March 29. Bridgestone Potenza slick tyres are just one of the new aspects on the radically overhauled Formula One cars which will line up for the first race of the season, as the latest aerodynamic regulations – designed to reduce downforce -  mean that the cars look very different from their counterparts of twelve months ago. Slick tyres require a new method of marking to designate between compounds, as the previous method of painting one of the grooves with a white line no longer applies. Bridgestone has used the opportunity of launching a new system to show its continued support for the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign, by marking the softer of the two dry compounds available for each race with green sidewall markings. The now renamed ‘wet’ tyre (formerly ‘extreme’ tyre) will also feature a green line in a central groove. As before, two compounds of tyre will be available for every grand prix, with the requirement that both are used in the race. In a change from the previous allocation philosophy employed for the past two seasons, Bridgestone will now bring non-consecutive allocations to most events. For this grand prix the medium and super soft tyres have been selected from the range of hard, medium, soft and super soft. Albert Park is traditionally a challenging venue. In addition to the notoriously variable Melbourne weather, the track surface changes significantly over the course of the race meeting as it is only used for motorsport once a year. The track features 16 turns over its 5.30 km and is a compromise circuit in its layout with low downforce desired down the straights, but higher downforce requirements through the turns. High lateral forces mean high levels of energy and heat are dispersed through the tyres. Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said: What are the significant changes for 2009 from Bridgestone’s perspective? “The move to slick tyres is significant, although Bridgestone have a lot of experience with these tyres from many different race series so we are confident that we can produce good racing slicks. We are making these tyres to the same sizes as we had with grooved tyres, but this means there is a new front/rear grip balance. The teams will therefore have to work hard to get a good set-up, particularly with the varying surface of Albert Park, and we will be working closely with everyone to achieve this.” How big a challenge will it be for competitors having a non-consecutive allocation? “I think it has the potential to be a big challenge. We received many requests last season to make the difference between the two compounds greater, so we have attempted to do this by not only having a different compound stiffness, but also varying the temperature working range of the tyres. We have sought to allocate one tyre which has a lower working range and one which has a higher working range. This means that, even more than before, competitors will have to think long and hard about how they use their tyres, and there will be good rewards for those who make the best choices.”

Stats & Facts Number & Spec of tyres brought to Australia 1800 (intermediate & wet, medium & super soft dry) Pole position time 2008: 1min 26.714secs (Hamilton) Fastest race lap 2008:   1min 27.418secs (Kovalainen) Top three 2008: Hamilton, Heidfeld, Rosberg

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Fernando Alonso, R29-04, 103 laps, 456 km, fastest lap 1:18.343

The ING Renault F1 Team completed another day of testing at the Jerez circuit in the South of Spain today as Fernando Alonso completed his final day of work ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, ending the session at the top of the timesheets.

Again conditions were ideal with track temperatures in the region of 35˚C to give the team some valuable hot weather running. Fernando concentrated on an aero programme as the team approved the final developments items that will be taken to Melbourne for next week’s race.

Nelson Piquet takes over the R29 for the team’s final day of running tomorrow to complete the team’s pre-season preparations.

Fernando Alonso: “I’m happy with the day as we did more than a 100 laps which was our target for my final day of winter testing. This has been the first time we have run on a really hot track and the information we have from today will be very useful for the first few races, which are usually very hot. I’m also a bit sad that this is the final test of the year with my test team, but I will see them at the factory soon. I have to say thanks for the amazing job they have done this winter because we are really well prepared for the new season. We can go to Australia knowing that we have maximised the time we had available.”

Christian Silk, Chief Test Engineer: “We had a good day with lots of work to get through and we ran to programme pretty much all day. The conditions were good for testing as it was hot which leaves us well prepared for Melbourne and overall we we’re happy with the results that we’ve got. I just want to say a big thanks to Fernando for the excellent job he has had done this winter: he’s such a good test driver and has worked hard to leave us well prepared for the start of the season.”

www.ing-renaultf1.com

Bridgestone Motorsport Jerez Test Summary

Bridgestone Motorsport, the Official Tyre Supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship, has  completed a five day group test at the Circuito de Jerez, Spain, evaluating tyres for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. All four compound designations of 2009 specification dry: hard, medium, soft and super soft; were available for use by the teams, as well as the current specification 2009 wet and extreme weather tyres. A new softer compound wet tyre, designed for use in Monaco, was also used in evaluation for use at other race venues. For 2010, new compounds and constructions were evaluated. Eight teams attended the test, which took place between 1-5 March. As with many of the 2009 pre- season tests, the weather was an influencing factor; rain fell on several days and high winds made data collection difficult. Bridgestone’s Potenza Formula One tyres will next been seen in use in Barcelona on March 9-12, where ten teams are scheduled to test. Three compounds of 2009 slick tyres will be available for use, as well as the wet and extreme weather tyres. Q&A with Tetsuro Kobayashi – Technical Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport: What was learnt from this test? “Once more we have had a test which has been difficult for data collection with temperature changes and a lot of rain and high winds. With many different tyres used we have a lot to analyse, but we have seen no major issues. Teams understand that with so many regulation changes it will take time before they maximise their potential tyre performance, but we have definitely seen good progress.” Why were so many different tyres tested in Jerez? “Once the season has started we will not have testing like we have had in previous years so we have to make the most of pre and post-season testing. This is why we had many tyre specifications available in Jerez.” Why is there such a difference using the wet tyres with the 2009 cars? “The 2009 aerodynamic regulations have been designed to decrease the amount of downforce available. In the dry, the lost aerodynamic grip has been partially countered by the greater amount of grip from the slicks and the bigger contact patch they have with the track. In the wet, the aerodynamic situation is the same, but our tyre specifications have not changed since 2008, so this means there is less overall grip in the wet than previously, and the drivers have to adapt their driving accordingly.” Can Bridgestone do anything to increase grip levels in the wet? “Historically we have used a different wet compound for Monaco, where higher grip is required due to the smooth nature of this track. We have developed a new wet compound for Monaco in 2009, and we are currently evaluating if it is durable enough to take to other circuits to offer more grip.” Can you explain the reasoning behind Bridgestone’s recently announced tyre markings? “We will mark the softer of the two compounds available at a race weekend with green bands on the outer edges of the sidewalls. We tested many different alternatives and this location gave the best visibility, from the side and also a head-on view. We have used the colour green as it shows our support of the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign.”

        www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Bridgestone, the Official Tyre Supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship, is pleased to announce the compound allocations of Potenza tyres for the first five rounds of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship. This season sees slick tyres make a return to Formula One after eleven seasons of grooved dry tyres. Slick tyres mean that softer rubber compounds can be used, meaning more mechanical grip is available for competitors. This change is significant for teams and drivers and is accompanied by considerable changes to the car aerodynamic packages, designed to reduce downforce and stimulate overtaking. There is a change in tyre allocation rationale too. For the past two seasons, Bridgestone has brought two consecutive compounds from its range of four rubber compounds to each event. For 2009, non- consecutive allocations will occur at most races. As well as a difference in compound stiffness, there will be a variation in temperature working range between the two allocated compounds at an event. The compounds themselves are new, because of the different requirements of slick tyres compared with grooved tyres, however they will retain the same names of hard, medium, soft and super soft. There are no changes to the wet and extreme weather tyres, which will be brought to all events in case of adverse weather. The method of distinguishing between the two compounds on event will be through means of green bands painted on the edges of the tyre sidewalls of the softer tyres at a race. This marking allows the compounds to be visually distinguishable by fans at the circuit and those watching on television. The green colour has been chosen to show Bridgestone’s continued support of the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign. Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says: “2009 looks like it should be a very exciting season with very big changes to the cars. From our perspective we have changed our allocation strategy so that we can bring non-consecutive allocations to races. The compounds will not only vary in terms of compound hardness, but also working range. We have tried to have one tyre which has a quick warm-up and delivers a fast lap time immediately, and the other tyre which has a higher working range, so will not deliver immediate fast times, but gives very consistent and durable performance when it is at its operating temperature. Of course, we are subject to many variables such as different cars and drivers, not to mention the weather, which was such a big factor in 2008. We hope that the change in allocations gives competitors a good challenge and the fans entertaining racing. We are also proud to support the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign through our tyre markings.”

Bridgestone Motorsport F1

BMW Sauber F1 Team – Test in Valencia – Day four

Test in Valencia.
January 21st – 24th 2009
Day four – Saturday
Weather conditions: sunny with strong winds all day.
Air temperature: 13 – 18 °C, track temperature: 14 – 19 °C
Number of drivers participating: 1 (exclusive BMW Sauber F1 Team test)
Circuit length: 4.005 km
Nick Heidfeld
Chassis / engine: BMW Sauber F1.09-02 / BMW 86/9
Test kilometres today: 365 (91 laps)

Programme:
With gusts reaching 70 km/h, the weather again called for changes in the scheduled test programme. In the morning Nick Heidfeld concentrated on system checks for the new BMW Sauber F1.09. In the afternoon the engineers’ focus switched to collecting more data on the car’s mechanical components. “Although the test had to be interrupted once when the wind blew some debris over the track, I managed to do some long runs in the afternoon,” Heidfeld said. “I finished the day with some race start simulations on different tyre compounds.”
BMW Sauber’s Managing Director Walter Riedl added: “After Tuesday’s shakedown in Valencia we went on to complete four days of testing. Covering a total of 1,887 km, the new BMW Sauber F1.09 was running without any noteworthy problems, which meant we were able to carry out a comprehensive test programme on each day. At first it was a matter of testing the individual systems, after which we focused on set-up work. We managed to collect a great deal of data and have already made initial progress. Although the strong winds made testing difficult during the last two days, we benefited from the fact that the track was dry throughout and outdoor temperatures were higher than during our tests in December, which meant we were able to glean some valuable insights concerning the tyres as well. We have already used the 2009 version of the V8 engine with its rev limit of 18,000 rpm, as well as employing KERS. Overall we are very happy with the testing, particularly with regard to the high reliability of the new car. Now we are naturally very keen to see where we stand in terms of the competition, but we will have to wait for the next test to gain a first impression.”
What comes next:
With the four-day test session in Valencia over, the BMW Sauber F1 Team’s next outing will be the two tests in Bahrain in February (10th – 13th and 16th – 19th).

www.bmw-sauber-f1.com

Bridgestone Motorsport, the Official Tyre Supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship, has completed its first group test of 2009 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve near Portimão, Portugal, where two compounds of 2009 specification slick tyres were used as well as current specification wet and extreme wet tyres. Five teams were present over four days of testing between 19-22 January. Despite the Algarve location of the circuit being famed for its good weather, the test was affected by wet and windy weather, with even hailstones falling on the track during the course of the four days. Whilst Bridgestone’s soft and super soft compound slick tyres were available for use, teams predominantly made use of the wet and extreme wet tyres. Adding to the difficulty of the wet weather, the ambient temperature was also much cooler than is expected to be experienced at races this season, with meaningful data being hard to obtain. The circuit is relatively new, meaning that the surface was very slippery from the new surface itself as well as the rainfall. Bridgestone’s Potenza Formula One tyres will next been seen in use in Jerez on February 10-13, where six teams are scheduled to test, and in Bahrain on the same dates, where three teams are scheduled to test. Q&A with Tetsuro Kobayashi – Technical Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport: What was learnt from this test? “This was a difficult test because of the weather and we learnt that the Algarve does not always live up to its reputation of good conditions. The rain, and even hailstones, seriously hampered progress during the week. The conditions compounded the difficulty of running on a new track surface as the oils come out from the tarmac, making the surface very slippery, even when we did have dry running.”   With limited testing in 2009, how does this affect developments ahead of the season start? “For Bridgestone we are confident that there will be sufficient testing for teams before the season starts to enable good, safe, racing. Of course, any test days lost means that teams have not been able to test their new cars and continue learning about our slick tyres, however we will see several more tests before we visit Albert Park in Australia for the first race of the season.” What are your thoughts of the Portimão track? “The Portimão track is certainly an impressive facility and a challenging circuit to learn for teams and drivers. The track surface is very smooth, just as you would expect of a new facility. At this test the rain did not help with the grip levels, so in terms of gaining data for us to evaluate, we were at a disadvantage.”

Bridgestone Motorsport F1