[PDF]Pressemitteilung: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix [http://www.lifepr.de?boxid=128472]

1. F1Team
BMW Sauber F1Team
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
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30 October – 1 November 2009
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17 and final World Championship race
Preview.
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Munich/Hinwil, 23 October 2009. The 17 and final race of the 2009 FIA Formula One
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World Championship will take place on 1 November with the maiden grand prix at the new
Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The whole of the Formula One community is looking forward
to sampling the new venue on the calendar, as anticipation builds ahead of the debut of
Formula One at the track. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will also be the first time the drivers will
have started a race in daylight and finished it after dark.
While the destiny of the drivers’ and constructors’ titles has now been decided, further back
in the field much can change. The BMW Sauber F1 Team moved up to seventh in the
Constructors’ Championship through Robert Kubica’s second place in Brazil, and can still
snatch sixth position from Williams – the British team is currently 2.5 points ahead in the
standings – with the right result in Abu Dhabi.
The final race weekend of 2009 will also bring the curtain down on the BMW Sauber F1
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Team’s involvement in Formula One. On 29 July BMW announced that it would be pulling
out of Formula One at the end of the season, although the Swiss arm of the team under
Peter Sauber is still hoping to line up on the grid in 2010.
Robert Kubica:
“I have not been to the Abu Dhabi circuit so far. As we do not have a simulator I only know
the track from the Internet and from a couple of presentations. The track looks very
interesting. The facilities and the buildings around the circuit especially seem to be
outstanding. However, before having done the first laps on the track with a Formula One
car, it is really difficult to judge the circuit itself. But of course I know this situation from the
past. In 2008 both Valencia and Singapore were new on the calendar. Fortunately I consider
myself a driver who does not need a lot of track time to be on a good pace straight away. I
guess that a lot of cars will be out on the track on Friday in order to understand the track
and to learn as much as possible. I am really looking forward to going there. It will be my last
race for this team, but I hope very much to see them on the grid again next year.”
Nick Heidfeld:
“I’m very pleased to be getting another taste of summer and will be flying out to Abu Dhabi a
few days early with my family. I’m really excited about the new circuit. Everyone who’s been
there already has described it as an incredible place. I think it’s always great to discover a new
track. I haven’t found the lack of a simulator to be a disadvantage at other new circuits, and
Media contact this way it’s even more exciting when you drive out of the garage for the first time.
Jörg Kottmeier
+49 170 5666112
joerg.kottmeier@bmw.de “This will be a very special race for all of us in the team. So far I haven’t really had that feeling
of saying goodbye. But that will change in Abu Dhabi for sure, and will probably be quite
Hanspeter Brack
+41 79 7701819 intense. I very much hope that the team is given a place on the grid for 2010 soon.”
hanspeter.brack@
bmw-sauber.com
Heike Hientzsch
+49 172 6209904
bmw@heikehientzsch.de
Benjamin Titz
+49 179 7438088
benjamin.titz@bmw.de

2. F1Team
BMW Sauber F1Team
Director:
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
“We will travel to Abu Dhabi with mixed feelings. The eight points we collected in Brazil have
allowed us to move up a place in the Constructors’ Championship, and we will be highly
motivated once again at the final race of the season. We are looking forward to racing at the
new Formula One venue and can’t wait to experience the atmosphere at the marina circuit.
“However, there will of course also be a fair amount of sadness within the team as we set off
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for Abu Dhabi. After all, this will be our 70 and final race with the BMW Sauber F1 Team.
“With the exception of our fourth and unfortunately final season, I’m more than satisfied with
what we have achieved since 2006. In the first three years after the team was founded, we
met – and even exceeded – all the aims we set ourselves. We recorded two podium finishes
in our first season on the grid, and in our second season we established ourselves as the
third-strongest team in the championship. This was the year in which Robert suffered his
horrific crash in Montreal. It felt like an eternity until we finally heard the good news that he
was ok. The relief meant we were able to celebrate Nick’s second place in suitable style. It
was in Montreal a year later that we enjoyed our greatest success. From the moment that
Robert and Nick crossed the finish line in quick succession to record a 1-2 result, there was
no stopping us. We remained part of a three-way battle for the title almost until the end of the
season. We notched up 11 podium finishes in total in 2008 and our reliability was excellent.
“Of course, the whole team is disappointed that we have been unable to build on this
success in 2009, as we had hoped to have a say in the title race. But we have never thrown in
the towel, even after BMW announced its withdrawal from Formula One, which shows the
strong character of our team. I hope that the successor to the BMW Sauber F1 Team will
continue along this successful path in Formula One.”
Willy Rampf, Head of Engineering:
“I always find it exciting to compete at a new venue. The circuit in Abu Dhabi has a whole
series of predominantly slow and medium-speed corners, but also two very long straights.
Since the track is also very wide, we can probably look forward to a lot of overtaking moves.
“Of course, we have carried out the usual simulations, but one significant unknown is how the
tyres will respond on the new asphalt. We will only discover the answer to this question
during the course of the weekend. The ambient temperatures are sure to play a major role.
Although the race is not scheduled to start until 5.00 pm, we can still expect the outside air
temperature to be well over 30 degrees Celsius.
“Brazil was the first race in which we’ve been able to fully exploit the potential of the car since
the extensive package of modifications were introduced in Singapore, and we’re also
expecting to have a strong race in Abu Dhabi. We’ll be pulling out all the stops to finish the
season on a positive note.”

3. F1Team
BMW Sauber F1Team
Facts and figures:
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Circuit/Date Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi / 1 November 2009
Start time (local/UTC) 17.00 hrs /13.00 hrs (13.00 hrs UK, 14.00 hrs Central Europe)
Lap/Race distance 5.554 km / 305.470 km (55 laps)
Driver Robert Kubica Nick Heidfeld
Date of birth 07.12.1984 10.05.1977
Place of birth Krakow/Poland Mönchengladbach/Germany
Nationality Polish German
Residence Monaco Stäfa, Switzerland
Marital status Single Engaged to Patricia Papen,
daughter Juni, son Joda
Height 1.84 m 1.67 m
Weight 72 kg 59 kg
F1 debut 2006, Budapest 2000, Melbourne
GP starts 56 168
Pole positions 1 1
Wins 1 -
Podium places 9 12
Fastest laps - 2
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Best placing 4 (2008) 5 (2007 and 2008)
Points total 137 215
Points 2009 17 15
Season 2009 Robert Kubica Nick Heidfeld
Qualifying Race Points Qualifying Race Points
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Australian GP 4 15 accident - 11 (grid 9 ) 10 -
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Malaysian GP* 8 (grid 6 ) DNF - 11 (grid 10 ) 2 4
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Chinese GP 18 (grid 17 ) 13 - 11 12 -
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Bahrain GP 13 18 - 14 19 -
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Spanish GP 10 11 - 13 7 2
th th th th th
Monaco GP 18 (grid 17 ) DNF - 17 (grid 16 ) 11 -
th th th th
Turkish GP 10 7 2 11 11 -
th th th th
British GP 12 13 - 15 15 -
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German GP 16 14 - 11 10 -
th th th th th th
Hungarian GP 19 (grid 18 ) 13 - 16 (grid 15 ) 11 -
th th th th
European GP 10 8 1 11 11 -
th th rd th
Belgian GP 5 4 5 3 5 4
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Italian GP 13 DNF - 15 7 2
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Singapore GP 9 (grid 7 ) 8 1 8 accident -
(pit lane start)
th th th th th th
Japanese GP 13 (grid 9 ) 9 - 6 (grid 4 ) 6 3
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Brazilian GP 8 2 8 19 (grid 18 ) DNF -
*half points

4. F1Team
BMW Sauber F1Team
BMW Sauber F1 Team
Founded 01.01.2006
Locations Munich (DE) and Hinwil (CH)
F1 debut 2006, Melbourne
GP starts 69
Pole positions 1
Wins 1
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Podium places 17 (6 x 3 /10 x 2 /1 x 1 )
Fastest laps 2
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World Championship 5 (2006), 36 points
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placings 2 (2007), 101 points
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3 (2008), 135 points
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7 (2009), 32 points after 16 GPs
Background:
Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE and the largest of the seven Emirates. Local etiquette
dictates that public displays of affection between adults are not permitted – holding hands is
even punishable by law for married couples and can result in imprisonment. Licenses for the
sale of alcohol are only granted to hotel restaurants and drunkenness is punished. On Friday,
the holy day, shops have restricted opening times. When it comes to tips, taxi drivers will
expect customers to round up the fare, while ten percent is normal for waiters.
The Yas Marina Circuit on the man-made Yas Island sets out to overshadow everything that
has gone before. The facility spans over 160 hectares in total, with the paddock – which
backs onto the harbour – occupying 40,000 square metres.
The circuit can claim to be the only venue on the calendar where all the grandstands are
covered, and 50,000 spectators can enjoy the race from the shade. The 60-metre-tall Sun
Tower, which is powered by solar energy, is reserved for guests of honour. The facility also
encompasses a driving school, a drag racing centre, a karting centre, a business park and a
five-star hotel with 500 rooms. The press centre is designed to accommodate 600 journalists
and photographers.

5. F1Team
BMW Sauber F1Team
Schedule for group interviews at the weekend:
Thursday:
13.30-13.40 – Robert Kubica – TV
13.40-14.00 – Robert Kubica – print media
13.30-13.50 – Nick Heidfeld – print media
13.50-14.00 – Nick Heidfeld – TV
14.00-14.10 – Christian Klien – TV
14.10-14.30 – Christian Klien – print media
15.30-15.35 – Mario Theissen – TV
15.35-16.00 – Mario Theissen – print media
18.00-18.30 – Willy Rampf – by prior arrangement only
Friday:
19.45-19.55 – Robert Kubica – TV
19.45-19.55 – Nick Heidfeld – TV
Saturday:
19.45-20.05 – Robert Kubica – print media
20.05-20.15 – Robert Kubica –TV
19.45-19.55 – Nick Heidfeld – TV
19.55-20.15 – Nick Heidfeld – print media
20.30-20.35 – Mario Theissen – TV
20.35-21.00 – Mario Theissen – print media
Sunday:
After the end of the race, Kubica and Heidfeld will be on hand behind the FIA garage,
Theissen and Rampf in the team area.
Involvement in the FIA press conference means the group interviews will be cancelled on the
relevant day.
Media website www.press.bmw-motorsport.com
www.press.bmw-
Team website www.bmw-sauber-f1.com
www.bmw-sauber-