BMW Sauber truck drops 8 engines in Suzuka!

Already both BMW Sauber drivers were in a troubled situation, with Kubica on the edge, using his 8th engine, and Heidfeld already receiving a penalty for using his 9th engine of the season. To make things worse there was an incident during the Suzuka preparations that won't help...

According to the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, on Tuesday afternoon an incident involving a team transporter carrying engine crates occurred: a truck going into the paddock had a contact with a bridge and dropped a container carrying 8 engines. The crates were badly damaged as a result.

However external inspection shows no major damage, but the internals are yet to be examined. Fears are especially that the valvetrain may be damaged, according to Mario Theissen, who also admitted this was the worst incident of this type to happen to the team.

Fortunately none of the engines dropped are the ones to be used by Robert and Nick during the coming race, as it seems they are "just" the ones used during Friday practice and reserve ones as well.

In the last few races the reliability of the Munich-based engines had been put into question, and this incident certainly doesn't help...especially if we see those "fallen" engines blowing on Friday. This could cut the essential practice running for the BMW sauber drivers, something undesired with the new package still needing kilometers before being fully unleashing its potential.