BMW Sauber F1 Team at the 2007 US GP
The recent 2007 United States Grand Prix that took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was not that bad for the BMW Sauber F1 team. Although driver Nick Heidfeld was forced to retire on lap 56 due to a problem on the hydraulics, the 19-yearl old test driver Sebastian Vettel managed to finish the race aboard the No. 10 BMW Sauber F1.07 equipped with quality BMW parts and took the 8th spot. This allows the German driver to b
e the youngest F1 driver to score a point in Grand Prix. He also became the sixth youngest driver to start a Grand Prix career.
Sebastian Vettel commented after the race: “It was fantastic, a lot of fun but a longer race than I ever imagined it to be. I think I am quite lucky to get away with a point as the first corner was quite tight. I had an okay start, but not a very good one. When I saw the cars were close I decided to brake just a little bit later and then caught up quickly to those in front of me. To avoid an incident I decided to cut turn two and lost a lot of places. After that I was stuck in traffic which more or less destroyed our strategy.”
“It is good to finish the first race and better still in the points. The car was working well. I could have been a bit quicker, but quite often I was stuck in traffic and it is extremely difficult to overtake here as the other guys are not sleeping and they know how to defend. In the end when I saw the chequered flag I was quite relieved. I am quite happy for me and the team who have done a fantastic job. I can only say thank you to all my mechanics and engineers who were supporting me.”
Meanwhile, Nick Heidfeld share his frustrations and said: “I had a good start and overtook Kimi. On the first stint my speed was okay, and it was only in the beginning that Felipe Massa could pull away a little bit. Later when I was braking for turn one the rear wheels just locked and I spun. When I wanted to get going again, I couldn’t get a gear, which was why Heikki Kovalainen could pass me. The spin caused a flat spotted tyre and I made my first pit stop a little early. The next laps were good, and I overtook Kimi Raikkonen and Heikki. However, when Kimi was at top speed I could not keep him behind. After the second pit stop I got stuck behind Mark Webber, but then the hydraulic problems occurred anyway.”
Better luck next time Mr. Heidfeld.
