Situation prior to the Malaysia race

By BMW Sauber F1 Team
April 8 2007

In 2006, the BMW Sauber F1 Team scored two World Championship points in Malaysia. This year, Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica are keen to deliver another successful race result in the tropical heat of Sepang...

> By qualifying fifth at the "Sepang International Circuit", Nick secured his best Malaysian GP grid position in his career to date. Last year, the BMW Sauber F1 Team driver was sixth on grid for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

> Robert, who is going to contest his maiden Malaysian Grand Prix, will start Sunday's race from seventh position.

> Nick will share the third row of the grid with his fellow countryman Nico Rosberg (Williams), while Robert will start the second round of the season next to Jarno Trulli (Toyota).

> In the team-internal qualifying battle, Nick now holds a 2:0-lead over Robert. A glance at the times set in the second and free practice sessions, however, proves that the contest between the two drivers is truly close: in those two sessions, Robert was faster than his team-mate.

> The squad from Munich and Hinwil already proved in 2006 that the BMW Sauber F1 Team has what is needed to be successful in Malaysia: at that time, Jacques Villeneuve finished seventh, thus scoring the very first World Championship points in the team's short history.

> In 2005, Nick celebrated his best Malaysian GP result to date: he finished third and clinched one of the five podium finishes he has gained in his career to date.

> It's the third time that Nick starts a GP from fifth position on the grid. In the past, however, this grid position wasn't a good omen for the German. In the 2002 Austrian GP he was forced into early retirement, and in the 2006 Turkish GP he finished 14th. For Robert, it's the second Formula One race he is going to start from fourth row of the grid, with the 2006 Turkish GP having been the first.

> The 56-lap Malaysian Grand Prix will start at 15:00hrs local time (08:00hrs BST).