BMW Sauber technical director Willy Rampf has said that his team are not concerned about the car s poor performance so far.
The F1.08 has slightly disappointed in testing and has not shown the impact it was expected to. Driver Nick Heidfeld has already admitted that the new car does not feel as balanced as the F1.07 did at the same stage last year.
Rampf has insisted that there is currently no cause for concern and that the new car still has plenty of untapped potential and they have already pinpointed some areas which could be improved.
“In terms of reliability, the F1.08 is already very good,†Rampf explained. “We have covered numerous laps without any noteworthy problems to date. As far as performance is concerned, we are at the start of a comprehensive development phase.
“We have analysed the data from the test drives so far and identified the potential areas concerned. By the next test in Barcelona, the car will already have received some relevant modifications.
“Following that, we will be using new components in all the other tests up to the start of the season. We have set ourselves an internal target which we aim to meet by Melbourne and I am confident we will achieve that.â€
Nick Heidfeld has explained that he has had to modify his driving style to adapt to the F1.08 however he is hoping that as the car improves, he can return to his normal style.
“To go quicker, I am driving differently from what I would want to,†Heidfeld explained. “But with the changes we are planning, the target is to have a good balance and to return to driving in a normal way.â€
