MoSs AMG

since noone have posted the thread yet then il start it , im so excited about this week GP after 4 weeks straight waiting , teams are ready , allot of changes and updates , cars are faster , drivers are hungry to get pole ... cant wait.

Osnabrueck

I'm really hyped about this race! It's clear, going into leg #4, that this season is wide open. We have a 3 way tie for top driver, and BMW is now emerging showing itself as a legitimate condenter behind Ferrari and McLaren.

The Emperor

BMW in the top 5 and nothing else that i want!

For the 3 guys doing vs stuff: Go Hamilton!

Alfie

Wide open, nothing is certain.... I expect some good racing!

I'm guessing Alonso will take the win followed by Kimi and Lewis.

The Emperor

Here it is, Friday free practice, the results:



Hamilton 1st - go boy!

Good to see Kubica on the pace, week Heidfeld...

It's only a free practice, but anyways...

The Emperor

Hamilton leads a McLaren one-two

After a predictably slow start in the opening 90-minute practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, it was McLaren Mercedes who showed good form around the 4.655km Circuit de Catalunya. Lewis Hamilton led the way with a best lap of 1:21.880s, nearly four-tenths up on fan-favourite Fernando Alonso.

As is commonplace in practice however, some opted to run the softer medium compound Bridgestone Potenza tyre, while some opted to remain on the harder compound. The final minutes of the session saw Hamilton opt for the softer choice as he went back out and improved on his own best time. Alonso however remained on the harder tyre and was therefore not able to improve.

McLaren however did opt to run the new ‘bridge’ front wing again today and it was apparent that the MP4-22 was gaining time over its rivals in terms of straight line pace indicating that they are able to run less downforce and still achieve a good balance.

Kimi Raikkonen was third fastest in his Ferrari, just a few-hundredths of a second slower than Alonso. Team-mate Felipe Massa was fifth fastest in the sister F2007 while Robert Kubica showed good pace throughout the session in his BMW Sauber and would end up fourth fastest.

Anthony Davidson was sixth fastest in his Super Aguri Honda, undoubtedly a little show-boating from the team, while the Toyota duo of Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher set the seventh and eighth best times respectively. For Schumacher, it seems that his recent handling struggles have come to an end.


Nico Rosberg and Alex Wurz were ninth and 11th fastest for the Williams Toyota team. Rosberg’s large testing accident left Williams without a lot of data ahead of the start of the weekend, so they will be relatively satisfied with the early pace of the FW29.

Jenson Button was tenth fastest in his Honda ahead of Wurz, while Nick Heidfeld had a low key session in his BMW Sauber and was just 12th fastest ahead of Takuma Sato in the second Super Aguri Honda.

Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella were a distant 14th and 15th for Renault while Red Bull Renault did not show too much pace either with David Coulthard recovering from a spin to set the 16th best time ahead of Mark Webber. Coulthard set the testing pace at the very same circuit just over a week ago with a lap time over two seconds faster than today, so there is plenty more to come from the Milton Keynes-based team.

Adrian Sutil was 19th in his Spyker Ferrari with team-mate Christijan Albers slowest of all behind the Toro Rosso duo of Tonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed.

It is early days in Spain, but as has been the case so far this year, it is McLaren and Ferrari out front.

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C.Charles

I want DC to win.

The Emperor

How come? Why?

Gene

Well it seems like the front wing of the McMerc does flex:

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Hope it gets banned, just for the irony - McMerc were the ones to start the whole flexi-floor/flexi-rear rear wing of BMW and Ferrari. In fact, what would make it even more ironic is if Ferrari or BMW were to lay the complaint.

Bartek Sikorski

BMW Sauber F1 Team Promotes BMW Active Steering Technology.

"Active Steering" adorns the rear wing of the BMW Sauber F1.07.
Munich/Barcelona, 10th May 2007. When the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers head out onto the Circuit de Catalunya for Friday's opening free practice session, the rear wing of their BMW Sauber F1.07 cars will be sporting a new message. The striking "BMW Power" lettering which has occupied this prominent area of the car up to now will be replaced by the web address - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for the Spanish Grand Prix.

As Dr Klaus Draeger, member of the BMW AG Board of Management responsible for development and procurement, explains: "In Formula One the focus is on guiding the car quickly and precisely around the track, which is why F1 cars have extremely direct steering. Road cars, however, have to meet additional demands. In order to achieve the same level of agility as a racing car, series-produced models require variable ratio steering. And that is where BMW Active Steering comes in. This system adjusts its responses constantly to the speed of the car. BMW Active Steering breaks new ground by combining excellent stability at higher speeds with flexibility under heavy steering. Precise directional stability and assured steering movements maximise roadholding and take the strain off the driver. And reliable steering feedback also enhances driving pleasure at high speeds."

Logging on to - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER takes visitors to a website which starts with BMW Sauber F1 Team driver Nick Heidfeld demonstrating the differences between racing in Formula One and driving BMW cars on the road. They are then redirected to the "Innovation Lounge" on the - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER site. Here, visitors can find out more about Active Steering.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Director of Central Marketing and BMW Brand Management, elaborates: "As a globally high-profile and widely familiar platform for technical innovation, Formula One represents for us an ideal communication tool for the BMW technology campaign. Since we became involved in Formula One, technology transfer has enabled us to generate significant added value both for our production cars and for the Formula One vehicles. Integrating our technology campaign in our Formula One communications is a valid and logical step through which we can show our customers how varying technologies are implemented in road cars and in Formula One, and where the similarities lie."

In Spain, "www.active-steering.com" is emblazoned on the BMW Sauber F1 Team trucks as well as the rear wing of the racing cars. And there are plans to present other messages in this way during the course of the season.

This is not the first time that the BMW Sauber F1 Team has used the rear wing of its racing cars as a communications platform. Last season, in the final race of seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher's career, "Danke Michael" shone out from the rear wing of one of the cars, "Thanks Michael" from the other.

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