Abu Dhabi Race Review: BMW

Abu Dhabi (UAE). Happy end to the last race for the BMW Sauber F1 Team: After a great race, Nick Heidfeld finished the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in fifth.

BMW decision a surprise for Nick Heidfeld

Along with hundreds of staff working at Hinwil and Munich, today’s announcement from BMW that it is to leave the sport at the end of the season has come as a surprise to Nick Heidfeld...  

Italian GP Review: BMW

Monza (IT). While Nick Heidfeld came seventh after starting 15th in the Italian Grand Prix, his team mate, Robert Kubica, retired after 15 laps due to a gear box oil leak. After a disappointing qualifying the BMW Sauber F1 Team scored two more championship points.

Nick Heidfeld loses time

Shunt in final practice ahead of qualifying Mechanics in Barcelona are busily repairing Nick Heidfeld's BMW Sauber in the less than two hours before qualifying...  

Barcelona Preview - BMW

Munich/Hinwil, 30th April 2009. With all eyes focused on the challenge ahead in the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship, the BMW Sauber F1 Team engineers at the factories in Hinwil and Munich are working flat out on improvements to the F1.09.

Sauber withdraw from Formula One

• Team confirm withdrawal at press conference in Munich• Honda also pulled out of the sport in DecemberBMW Sauber today confirmed they are to withdraw from Formula One at the end of the 2009 season.The announcement, made at the team's headquarters in Munich, means BMW are the second major manufacturer to pull out of the sport in the space of eight months following Honda's withdrawal in December.The news comes ahead of the imminent signing this week of a new Concorde Agreement, the commercial document that governs F1 and binds the teams to the sport for the length of the contract.Dr Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the Board of Management of BMW, said the decision was "difficult" but "a resolute step in view of our company's strategic realignment.""Premium will be increasingly defined in terms of sustainability and environmental compatibility," said Reithofer. "This is an area in which we want to remain in the lead. We are continually reviewing all projects and initiatives to check them for future viability and sustainability. Our Formula One campaign is thus less a key promoter for us."However Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone said he believes BMW's failure to challenge for the world title is behind their withdrawal."Recently when I spoke to Mario Theissen, the team manager, he said they had three years to win the world championship," Ecclestone told the BBC. "That's what he wanted to do and he was quite confident they would. But it appears it's not quite been like that, so perhaps that's why they've [chosen] to stop."BMW drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica have amassed only eight points between them this season to leave their team eighth in the constructors' championship."If I was looking after their politics, if you want to say that, I'd hardly say that we decided to leave because of our performance over the last three years," he added. "When you consider how much money they've spent and the results they've got, it's probably not such a good investment."They were quite sure that they were going to win the championship within three years, and I was hoping they would."BMW had made rapid strides in F1 since taking over Sauber ahead of the 2006 season, scoring two podium finishes and claiming fifth in the constructors' championship that year. But this season the team have been a major disappointment after failing to get to grips with the introduction of new regulations, taking just eight points from 10 races so far.BMW's issues have been compounded by the fact that despite Ferrari and McLaren making similarly slow starts, those two teams are back up to speed, leaving the German marque at the back of the grid."Mario Theissen has been in charge of our motorsport's program since 1999," added Reithofer. "We have scored a large number of successes in this period, including some in Formula One racing. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mario and his team for this."SauberFormula OneMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds