LEWIS HAMILTON
"Fuji is a place I really enjoy: it’s not the easiest of tracks because it requires a good set-up to get the best from the car, but I had no complaints today. We were immediately on the pace and found a very good balance straight away. In the afternoon, I did a promising longer run with no major problems and I feel confident about our pace for the rest of the weekend."

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
"Today was a pretty straightforward practice day with no major problems. We successfully went through our tyre comparison programme, which went well. We made some good progress with the set-up into the afternoon and that also made me feel a lot more confident about attacking this place. I don’t think today’s times are totally representative, but we’re certainly in good shape for the rest of the weekend."

RON DENNIS
"Today we conducted two trouble-free sessions, encountering no problems with either of our cars: a normal day at the office, you could say. Having said that, whomever I talk to in our team, I notice the same thing: we’re more together, more focused, more committed and more motivated than ever before. There’s a tremendous feeling of comradeship - in our garage and in our hospitality units here at Fuji, and of course back in Woking, in Brixworth and in Stuttgart. And that comradeship, that will to win, will persist throughout this race weekend and throughout the final two weekends of the season, too."

NORBERT HAUG
"That didn’t look bad, and we are quite satisfied with the outcome of today’s practice. Our long runs in race trim were fast and consistent, with both the option and the prime tyres. It’s all looking positive; however, we don’t yet know what the opposition has in store for us. Only one fact seems to be sure: the weather will be better than it was last year."

Both the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers completed their usual programme during the first free practice sessions in preparation for the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix in Fuji, which basically is tyre comparison and set-up work.

Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: 8th, 1:20.160 min / 2nd Practice: 11th, 1:18.865 min
“It was a normal Friday. We did some set-up work in the morning, and concentrated on the tyre evaluation in the afternoon. I really enjoyed driving on this track, as it’s demanding and fun at the same time. The balance of the car is quite okay, but we are lacking overall grip.”

Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: 14th, 1:20.628 min / 2nd Practice: 19th, 1:19.894 min
“My first day of practice didn’t go too smoothly this time. I’m not happy with the balance of the car yet, it is sliding too much. Because of this in the first session I spun once, which seldom happens to me. Also, which is exceptional for us, in the second session I had minor technical problems. First the brake balance adjuster in the cockpit came loose, and shortly before the end of the session we had a hydraulic alarm and I came into the pit. There were only three minutes left, so it wasn’t worth going out again. However, I didn’t really loose track time and it’s only Friday. I’m totally confident we shall improve for tomorrow.”

Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
“That was a full Friday. The track was in a good condition right from the beginning so we were able to start our set-up work early on. As usual, we concentrated on set-up and tyre comparison. The long-runs were satisfying. At the end of the second session Nick had a hydraulic alarm, so we are now investigating the reason for this.”