Q&A: Dr Mario Theissen - EXCLUSIVE.

by Russell Atkins

BMW was one of the revelations of the 2006 Formula One campaign, having bought out the former Sauber squad the previous year. Now the Bavarian marque has its sights set on even loftier ambitions in 2007, as BMW Motorsport Director Dr Mario Theissen explains.

Last year marked the first time the BMW had run a Formula One team in its own right, rather than acting more simply as an engine supplier, but the acquisition of Sauber brought the private Swiss outfit what was arguably the strongest season in its 14-year history in the top flight. And onwards and upwards is very much where Dr Theissen sees the team heading in 2007 and beyond...

Q:
Mario, how excited are you about the Formula One season ahead?

Mario Theissen:
We are very much looking forward to the new season. We are confident that we can take the next step in order to close the gap to the top teams. All the people here have worked extremely hard. We are nervous now to see how the car works on the track, and especially where we are in relation to our competitors, but everybody is very confident and motivated.

Q:
When BMW took over the Sauber team last year, did you expect to do as well as you did?

MT:
I think everything has developed pretty much as expected. We were maybe even a bit more successful in our first year, but overall I think we are on schedule. It's always good to be a bit ahead of schedule, and it's all developing quite well. We will complete the two-year ramp-up phase at the end of this year, so by the end of 2008 everything will be in place to really take on the top teams.

Q:
Has the strong performance you showed last year relieved the pressure a bit, or do you feel under even more pressure now to maintain that form?

MT:
It certainly has not relieved the pressure, just the opposite in fact! If you are successful expectations raise quicker than you can develop.

Q:
You mentioned a lot of hard work has been done over the winter months. What have been the major changes to the car?

MT:
We have a conceptual change on the transmission side. We have an all-new transmission and a seamless-shift gearbox which is still under development. Then the car is entirely new. It may look similar, but especially on the aerodynamic side it's an all-new design. We had less scope for development on the engine side, so the focus has been on aerodynamics and the transmission.

Q:
You have four strong drivers in Nick Heidfeld, Robert Kubica, Sebastien Vettel and Timo Glock. What do you expect of them this year?

MT:
I just expect them to exploit the potential of the car. They can only be as good as the car is. I think they will push the car to its limit, and I'm sure as soon as we give them a car which can win a race they will do so.

Q:
Looking ahead to the season as a whole, what do you think BMW-Sauber can realistically achieve? Obviously the team jumped up from eighth position to fifth in the constructors' championship last year. What are the objectives?

MT:
The objective is to cut the gap again. We cut the gap between ourselves and the front-runners by half last year. We want to do the same in 2007 in order to fully close the gap next year.

Q:
And possibly with some more podiums along the way too?

MT:
Absolutely. We want to be on the podium this year on our own strength, and I'm confident we can achieve that.