February 16th - 19th 2009 Week two / Day two - Tuesday
Weather conditions: Sunny in morning, hazy in the afternoon. Temperature: Air: 20 - 29 °C, Track: 21 - 35 °C Number of drivers participating: 3 from 3 teams Fastest lap overall: Kimi Raikkönen (Scuderia Ferrari) 1:32.102 min Circuit length: 5.412 km
Nick Heidfeld Chassis / engine: BMW Sauber F1.09-02 / BMW 86/9 Test kilometres today: 563 (104 laps) Fastest lap: 1:32.585 min
Programme: Despite the weather not being as perfect as yesterday, the BMW Sauber F1 Team continued with development work on the F1.09 car. Nick Heidfeld concentrated on the mechanical setup, trying various specifications of dampers and torsion bars. He also did a couple of practice starts in the morning and at the end of the session. Today I drove the new BMW Sauber F1.09 in warm weather conditions for the first time, so the most important thing for me was to learn more about the general balance of the car, Heidfeld said after completing 104 laps. Overall it was a good day because I tried a lot of different set-up solutions. I already feel happy about how the car reacts to changes. In the morning the car stopped on the track when a standard kill switch accidentally cut off the main electronic control unit and engaged the automatic fire extinguishing system. With some modifications to the switch linkage and a cleaned up car Heidfeld resumed testing.
What comes next: Tomorrow Nick Heidfeld will be at the wheel of the BMW Sauber F1.09 again for another day of testing at Bahrain's Sakhir circuit. For further information please visit the media website www.press.bmw-motorsport.com press releases, press kits, images, TV footage) and the official team website www.bmw-sauber-f1.com (car, season, Race Club, team updates).
