Belgian GP: Nick scores 4 points

By BMW Sauber F1 Team
September 16 2007

For the BMW Sauber F1 Team, the 2007 Belgian Grand Prix was a race of mixed emotions. While Nick Heidfeld finished fifth, to score another four World Championship points, his team-mate, Robert Kubica, drove a fantastic race but from his 14th grid position, finishing ninth was the best he could do.

Robert gained a position right at the start by passing Toro Rosso driver Vitantonio Liuzzi, thereby moving up to 13th place. Nick, however, made a poor start and was passed by Renault's Heikki Kovalainen and Red Bull's Mark Webber, thus dropping back to eighth place.

In the following laps, Robert displayed fantastic fighting spirit. From laps three to lap five, he passed Jenson Button, David Coulthard, Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher, moving up to ninth position. At the same time, Nick re-passed Heikki Kovalainen on lap four for seventh position.

Two laps later, Robert had closed the gap to Kovalainen but it took him another six laps to pass the Finnish Renault driver for eighth position and continue some twelve seconds behind his team-mate. From this point in time, the Pole had a free track and put in several fast laps, while Nick was held up by Mark Webber, unable to find a way to pass the Australian until he pitted on lap 15.

Robert was the first of the BMW Sauber F1 Team pairing to come in for his first pit stop, rejoining the race right behind Red Bull's David Coulthard - which turn out to be bad luck for the Pole. Coulthard was on a one-stop strategy and was clearly slower than Robert but succeeded in fending off every overtaking effort he made. Consequently, Robert lost a lot of time before Coulthard finally went in for his only stop on lap 26.

In the meantime, Nick also had made his first pit stop - on lap 19 - and rejoined in sixth position, 1.2 behind Kovalainen, who also was on a one-stop strategy. However, this didn't prove to be a major problem for Nick as the gap to the cars behind him was big enough and he didn't lose as much time behind Kovalainen as Robert lost behind Coulthard.

During the second set of pit stops - when all the one-stoppers had come in for their only pit stop - Nick moved up to fifth place and Robert temporarily advanced to sixth position. Following his second stop, however, on lap 34, Robert dropped back to ninth position, 1.3 seconds behind Kovalainen.

One lap later, Nick also pitted for the second time but was able to defend his fifth position. He rejoined nearly 20 seconds ahead of Rosberg but with no chance of pressurising McLaren's Lewis Hamilton who held fourth position. Hence, Nick settled for cruising to the finish line and securing fifth place, scoring another four valuable World Championship points.

Robert, however, entertained the crowds with another dose of aggressive motor racing. Lap by lap, he tried to pass Kovalainen, making moves to the left and right of the Finn, however, the Renault driver wasn't prepared to let Robert pass him for a second time. At the end of the day, Robert went unrewarded for his brave driving and finished ninth, thus having to leave the Belgian Grand Prix venue empty-handed.