BMW has had its fair share of success within Formula 1. Their motor racing division, BMW Motorsport, has supplied engines for Formula 1 from 1982-1987 and 2000-2005.
Within that time period, the BMW powered Brabham propelled F1 Hall of Famer Nelson Piquet to his second title back in 1983.
The BMW powered Williams team was also regarded as one of the elite teams that came close to winning the constructors' crown during the 2003 season. In that same year, former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya also came close to winning the drivers' title.
But the group had bigger things in mind. By 2005, they ended their engine supply agreement with Williams and proceeded to negotiate a deal that would enable BMW to takeover Sauber-Petronas Formula 1 team.
The deal materialized and by 2006, BMW was not just an engine supplier in Formula 1. They were their own team.
Of course, Formula 1 spawns the fiercest competition among GP constructors. Having an abundant supply of funds doesn't guarantee success. Just ask Toyota F1. That team has no problems with funds. But since its debut in 2002, Toyota F1 hasn't established itself as a legitimate front-runner in Formula 1 with up-and-down seasonal stats.
But in their season debut, BMW Sauber was already able to finish on the podium twice: thanks to stellar performances from their drivers: Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica. The team finished a decent sixth in the Constructors standings.
By 2007, BMW Sauber improved even more as it was poised to finish third in the constructors' standings. Such feat was already impressive considering that the team was just in its second season. But after the McLaren espionage scandal, BMW Sauber inherited an even better second place.
Now in their third year, there are no signs that the team's progress is slowing down. After the first three races of the season, BMW Sauber is currently the only team to have finished in the podium in all of the races so far. Nick Heidfeld placed second in Melbourne, with Kubica placing second in Sepang and third in Bahrain. The team also recorded their first pole position in Bahrain.
In addition, reigning champion Kimi Raikkonen even debunked the popular notion that the race to the constructors' title was a two horse race. As far as he was concerned, BMW was also a threat.
And with BMW sauber clearly outpacing the McLarens in the past two races, it's not hard to see why the world champion came to such a conclusion.
As it stands, BMW currently leads the constructors' standings by one point ahead of Ferrari and two points ahead of Mclaren.
Although the gaps are small and the positions of the three could easily change from race to race, the mere three year old BMW Sauber F1 team has still managed its way to keep itself in the mix among F1's elite teams.
If they continue to progress the way they have been improving, it might not take very long before they start winning their first title.
Who knows, maybe by the time you decide to purchase the BMW 3 series' E93, perhaps their would be a badge somewhere on the dashboard or on the chassis with the label "World Champions".
Within that time period, the BMW powered Brabham propelled F1 Hall of Famer Nelson Piquet to his second title back in 1983.
The BMW powered Williams team was also regarded as one of the elite teams that came close to winning the constructors' crown during the 2003 season. In that same year, former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya also came close to winning the drivers' title.
But the group had bigger things in mind. By 2005, they ended their engine supply agreement with Williams and proceeded to negotiate a deal that would enable BMW to takeover Sauber-Petronas Formula 1 team.
The deal materialized and by 2006, BMW was not just an engine supplier in Formula 1. They were their own team.
Of course, Formula 1 spawns the fiercest competition among GP constructors. Having an abundant supply of funds doesn't guarantee success. Just ask Toyota F1. That team has no problems with funds. But since its debut in 2002, Toyota F1 hasn't established itself as a legitimate front-runner in Formula 1 with up-and-down seasonal stats.
But in their season debut, BMW Sauber was already able to finish on the podium twice: thanks to stellar performances from their drivers: Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica. The team finished a decent sixth in the Constructors standings.
By 2007, BMW Sauber improved even more as it was poised to finish third in the constructors' standings. Such feat was already impressive considering that the team was just in its second season. But after the McLaren espionage scandal, BMW Sauber inherited an even better second place.
Now in their third year, there are no signs that the team's progress is slowing down. After the first three races of the season, BMW Sauber is currently the only team to have finished in the podium in all of the races so far. Nick Heidfeld placed second in Melbourne, with Kubica placing second in Sepang and third in Bahrain. The team also recorded their first pole position in Bahrain.
In addition, reigning champion Kimi Raikkonen even debunked the popular notion that the race to the constructors' title was a two horse race. As far as he was concerned, BMW was also a threat.
And with BMW sauber clearly outpacing the McLarens in the past two races, it's not hard to see why the world champion came to such a conclusion.
As it stands, BMW currently leads the constructors' standings by one point ahead of Ferrari and two points ahead of Mclaren.
Although the gaps are small and the positions of the three could easily change from race to race, the mere three year old BMW Sauber F1 team has still managed its way to keep itself in the mix among F1's elite teams.
If they continue to progress the way they have been improving, it might not take very long before they start winning their first title.
Who knows, maybe by the time you decide to purchase the BMW 3 series' E93, perhaps their would be a badge somewhere on the dashboard or on the chassis with the label "World Champions".
No comments:
Post a Comment