18/03/2006
NEWS STORY
BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Nick Heidfeld qualified 14th and 15th respectively for the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang. Because some competitors will lose places on the grid due to engine changes, Villeneuve will start from grid position 10, Heidfeld from 12.
Jacques Villeneuve: Somehow we could not really get the tyres to work on a low fuel load. On old tyres we were quick this morning, but we didn't practice with new tyres then and didn't gain enough from them in qualifying. The result is very disappointing for us.
Nick Heidfeld: Certainly I am not happy with the result. On my second run the first sector time was good. But for the second and third sectors David Coulthard kept driving directly in front of me. That was it. We gain a few positions on the grid because some others need to change their engines, so we'll simply have to make the most of our possibilities come the race.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): Five to six teams were fighting for the top positions. They were much closer together than before. But we had still expected to make it into the top 10. In the end we missed it by a few tenths of a second. Jacques was not happy with his lap and complained about the level of grip. Nick got stuck in traffic on his quick lap. Nevertheless, I am convinced the new qualifying procedure is a winner for drivers, teams and the fans.
Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis): A disappointing result. In the second part of qualifying the times were very close and in a situation such as that if you don't get everything just right, you are out. As we will make some places on the grid, we will adapt our race strategy accordingly.