Team information

Chassis F1.08

Engine BMW P86/8

Team principal/s Mario Theissen

Technical director Willy Rampf

Race drivers Nick Heidfeld, Robert Kubica

Test drivers Christian Klien, Marko Asmer

Base Hinwil, Switzerland and Munich, Germany

History

Peter Sauber built his first car in 1970. Sauber competed in sports car racing during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1989 it became the Mercedes-Benz works team, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1989 and the World Sportscar Championship in 1989 and 1990.

The Swiss team entered Formula One in the 1993 season, with support from Mercedes. The partnership with Mercedes lasted until 1994. Sauber used Ferrari engines, badged as Petronas, from 1997 to 2005. Sauber never scored a race win, pole position, or fastest lap in Formula One. The team's most successful season was 2001, when it finished fourth in the constructors' championship.

German car manufacturer BMW competed in Formula One as an engine supplier from 1982 - 1987 and from 2000 - 2005. Nelson Piquet won the 1983 drivers' world championship in a Brabham-BMW. During 2005 BMW ended its engine supply agreement with the Williams team and bought Sauber. Peter Sauber remained with the team as a consultant.

2008 prospects

On August 21, 2007, BMW confirmed its driver line-up of Heidfeld and Kubica for the 2008 season. Their 2008 car, the F1.08 was officially launched in Munich at BMW Welt on January 14, 2008. It made its track debut at Valencia the next day, with Robert Kubica driving.

The BMW Sauber team has also introduced a new scheme for the team as a whole, every individual will get "fit for pole", from the boss to the cleaners, meaning that the team will be in optimum fitness for the 2008 season.

BMW Sauber started the season well with Kubica narrlowly missing out on pole after a mistake in his main qualifying lap in Melbourne. He later retired after being hit by Kazuki Nakajima but Heidfeld finished second. Kubica took second in Malaysia, with Heidfeld in 6th setting the fastest lap of the race. The team's points total of 11 was their largest score up to that time. In Bahrain, Kubica scored his and the team's first ever pole position, beating Felipe Massa by just under three hundredths of a second. The team went on to finish 3rd and 4th in the race, equalling their highest round points total and promoting them to first place in the constructors' championship for the first time.

The honours list

Debut 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix

Races competed 41

Constructors' Championships 0

Drivers' Championships 0

Race victories 0

Pole positions 1

Fastest laps 1

2007 position 2nd (101 points)