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I’m hoping Fuji won’t bring torrential rain - Heidfeld |
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Munich/Hinwil, 3rd October 2008. The mountain calls. Following the
night race in Singapore – as glamorous as the BMW Sauber F1 Team’s
points haul was modest – Formula One now heads for the Japanese Alps to
race at the foot of the sacred volcano of Mount Fuji.
There are still three races on the agenda, including the Japanese Grand
Prix on 12th October. Rarely has a season proved as diverse and
unpredictable as this one. The battle for the top places in the World
Championship rankings is about to enter its decisive phase.
Nick Heidfeld:
“Firstly, I’m hoping Fuji won’t bring the kind of torrential rain
we had in 2007. Basically I enjoy driving in the rain, but with last
year’s deluge it was just impossible. Visibility was zero, which led to
a number of collisions. Somebody drove into my car as well and damaged
it. Even so, shortly before the end I was in sixth place, but then an
engine problem put me out of the race.
“It’s a fun circuit. There are lots of uphill and downhill
gradients and several blind corners. But I’m a bit hard on it as Suzuka
was always my favourite GP track. One feature of the Fuji circuit that
stands out is its extremely long straight.
“It’s a beautiful landscape, and the road from the hotel to the
track could serve as an excellent rally special stage. I hope Mount
Fuji is going to show its face again. Overall there doesn’t seem to be
much going on in the area, but that’s fine after all the hustle and
bustle of Singapore.”
Robert Kubica:
“This season we go to Fuji for the second year in a row. I guess
everybody remembers last year’s Japanese Grand Prix as the weather
conditions were crazy. It was extremely wet and visibility was poor.
From a driver’s perspective the track is very interesting. There are
some challenging corners with different radii and also some blind
corners. Under dry conditions it was very enjoyable to drive, although
the last sector is quite slow as there are a lot of tight corners.
“As always in Japan, I think the fans will bring a unique
atmosphere to the Formula One track. Usually they come to the track
early in the morning and leave it after us.”
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
“The spectacular night-race premiere in Singapore is over. For the
next two races we will be stopping off in Asia as well, first in Japan
and just a week later in China. Some team members flew back to Munich
and Hinwil from Singapore, while others stayed on in Asia for a few
days’ relaxation. Others, in turn, are travelling to South Korea, where
Nick will be doing some demo drives with the Formula One car on
Saturday and Sunday.
“The Fuji Speedway celebrated its successful comeback to the F1
calendar in 2007. The circuit is in a picturesque setting in the
Japanese Alps, against the backdrop of Mount Fuji that rises
majestically behind it. Last year, however, the sacred mountain could
only be seen on Friday, and in the sunshine it was the most
photographed view. Unfortunately, it then disappeared behind a thick
wall of fog and rain and was never seen again. The weather had a
profound impact on the entire race weekend in 2007.
“After our unlucky experience with the Safety Car regulations in
Singapore – the second time this season – which lost us important
points, we aim to make up for lost ground in Japan. In the Drivers’ and
Constructors’ Championships the leaders are bunched close together,
which promises plenty of excitement for the remaining races.”
Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
“After the spectacular night race in Singapore, Formula One will be
returning to normality in Fuji. Last year was our first race there,
though it was dominated by a very wet track. But we still managed to
gather some information in terms of the car set-up.
“At around 1.5 kilometres, Fuji boasts the longest genuine straight
of any Grand Prix circuit. It means there are real overtaking
opportunities. At the same time, the medium-fast and fast turns require
plenty of downforce, which calls for a compromise in the aero set-up.
In Fuji we drive with medium downforce, comparable to Valencia.
Bridgestone supplies the two medium tyre compounds, which shouldn’t
pose us any major problems.
“After Singapore’s turbulent race, where the Safety Car phase threw
a spanner into the works, we want to achieve a strong points haul with
both cars in Japan.”
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