"It was a fantastic time" reflects Mario Theissen

By BMW Sauber F1
October 29 2009

The final race weekend of the 2009 Formula One season gets underway in just a few hours time. BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen speaks about his emotional state ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

"As always we will be highly motivated for the season finale," says Theissen. "We are looking forward to a new Formula One venue and are excited about the atmosphere at the 'Yas Marina Circuit'. However, we will naturally head there with a sense of nostalgia. When all said and done, this will be our 70th and final Formula One race with the BMW Sauber F1 Team."

A one-two victory, a pole position, 15 podium finishes and a model of reliability: the BMW Sauber F1 Team can look back on a successful period in motorsport's elite class, during which it achieved almost all of its internal goals and even exceeded some of them.

"It was a fantastic time - intensive, informative, exciting, challenging and, on the whole, very successful," says the German. "The first three years with the BMW Sauber F1 Team were a constant but steep rise toward the top. With the exception of our fourth and, unfortunately, final season I am more than happy with what we have achieved since 2006."