Action starts in Singapore for BMW Sauber drivers

By BMW Sauber F1 Team
September 26 2008

The BMW Sauber F1 Team has made a good start to the 15th race weekend of the season. In the sport's first practice session held under floodlights, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld finished fifth and eighth respectively .

The inaugural Formula One weekend at Singapore's all new "Marina Bay Circuit" kicked-off at sunset with the first practice session. 1500 high-performance light projectors made for a perfectly illuminated track with the electronic information boards that replace the conventional flags at the Southeast Asian venue also working flawlessly. Packed grandstands completed what was arguably the most exceptional atmosphere ever witnessed at a Formula One Friday practice session.

The drivers had to learn the challenging track in good conditions, with temperatures reaching 28 degrees Celsius. Therefore, there was a lot of race action at the 5.067-kilometre circuit, with Robert and Nick completing a total of 47 laps for the BMW Sauber F1 Team.

Some of the drivers, however, encountered moments during Formula One's floodlight debut: Red Bull's Mark Webber hit the crash barriers some 30 minutes into the session, and with just 15 minutes remaining, Honda's Rubens Barrichello's practice work came to a sudden end following a similar incident. Quite a number of other drivers also spun but succeeded in avoiding making contact with the walls and crash barriers.

The BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers weren't involved in any incidents. Robert, the faster of the two team-mates, secured fifth position on the time sheets by crossing the finish line of the 23-corner track in 1:46.618 minutes. Altogether, the Pole completed 23 laps. Nick was just fractions slower than his team-mate. On the fastest of his 24 laps, the German clocked a personal best time of 1:46.964 minutes to secure eighth.

In the second free practice session at the "Marina Bay Circuit", starting after a break of just 60 minutes at 21:30hrs local time (14:30hrs BST), the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers will continue their preparations for the first night race in the sport's history.