Team Drivers

Nick Heidfeld
Robert Kubica
Sebastian Vettel

2007 Stats

BMW Sauber
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1 (Heidfeld – 1)
Poles: 0
Points: 55 (Heidfeld – 33, Kubica – 22)

TPL Rating- 8

Team Performance

This has been a very impressive season for BMW Sauber so far. They already have more points than they did last season and in terms of team gap they have closed on the top 2 teams considerably. Generally they are just within 0.5 seconds of Mclaren and Ferrari's pace and trying their best to close although it will be hard for them to get on Ferrari and Mclaren's pace this season but with the rapid progress that they have made over the last two years and how well they are using their facilites and budget there is no reason why they can challenge for wins next season. The team's highlights so far this season have to be their North America races when they were on Ferraris' pace and got a brilliant 2nd place in Canada and their races in Malaysia where they were able to break into the top 4. For the rest of the season they just need to keep pushing hard like they have been in order to sustain 3rd place in the championship and resist the Renault challenge and when they are at a track that really suits their car challenge Mclaren and Ferrari for a podium position. BMW Sauber have really shown how to run a team successfully and how to spend money in the right places.

Driver Performance

Nick Heidfeld- So far this year Nick has done a great job and has proved to critics that he could be capable of being a front running driver if given the equipment. His mature drive in Canada to 2nd place in a chaotic race was an indication of how useful a driver he is. Also in Malaysia and Bahrain he was able to break into the top 4 and did a great move around the outside of Alonso in the process. After Kubica's threat in the last 6 races of last season many expected Nick to be trashed by Kubica but the man who likes to keep a low profile has surprised many in the first half of 2007.

Robert Kubica- This season has been a mixed bag for Kubica after the sudden impact he had on the sport in 2006. For a while he has been struggling to adapt his driving style to the bridgestone tyres, also he has had a few reliability problems which have also held him back. Then in Canada he had a horrific accident which he was very lucky to survive and has to miss the US GP. Since then his fortunes have turned around and he has been able to adapt his driving style to the tyres and has delivered two top draw races in France and Britain collecting two 4th places. He is now able to match his highly rated team mate's pace. In the second half of the season he will be aiming to keep up these good performances and outrace Nick more often.

Vettel's debut run in Indy- Overall it was a solid performance considering the lack of testing he has had this year but it was by no means spectacular, he could have done slightly better perhaps. However next season he will get his chance and could be yet another one for the future.

7. They have improved a lot since last season, but they are still some way away from the top 2, and that gulf keeps getting bigger.

3 weeks or so ago, it would have been a 9. Now it is a 7, because they seem to have slipped backwards in the last few races and are now in the clutches of Renault, rather than fighting with McLaren and Ferrari as we had all hoped. Heidfeld and Kubica have both done excellent jobs so far this season, and hopefully they will continue to do the same throughout the rest of the year and next year as well, when they will hopefully have a car capable of winning races.

I have given an 8. They have made the biggest step forward from last year of all the teams bar McLaren, so deserve a score that reflects that.

The car has also had more or less bullet proof reliability as far as I can remember, (just one failure in Indy) so that is another plus.

Heidfeld has been consistent as always, Kubica has shown flashes of pace but has also been quite far off the pace of Heidfeld at times. It will be interesting to see how that one develops into next season as I assume they will be driving the BMWs for a while yet.

Quick mention for Vettel who did nothing majorly wrong on his debut-his trip over the grass was caused by swerving to avoid an incident.

Heidfeld retired in Spain and Kubica in Australia. Still not a bad reliability record though.

Given the fact that the BMWs were failing all throughout winter testing they did a great job to dramatically improve it and only have 3 failures(Nick had power steering problems in the US along with the two failures mentioned in safc's post).

Well if some can see fit to award McLaren 10 points (ie the perfect score... no room for improvement) then I am fully justified in awarding BMW Sauber 10 points... they are exceeding their 2007 targets, and unlike McLaren have scored to date this season their highest ever points tally in their history (including the Sauber years) even if they where to score no more points for the remainder...

Arguments that they are falling back or Renault are catching them... where... Renault has yet to out score BMW in a single race this season, to say the gap to the two top teams is increasing... I say it is the same as it was just the top teams are making less mistakes now..

Anyway unlike those who cannot grasp what it is to award a 10 to a team, to acknowledge just how far above the rest of the grid any team must be to justify that perfect score...

I appreciate that as fantastic BMW's season is progressing even I can only award the an 7 as they have plenty they can do better.

BMW have PLENTY of room for improvement though ;) It's a relative scale. You'd think it was some government scheme the way you are going on about 'giving 10, the perfect score' <doh>

Of course they do... they have yet to complete their SECOND full season... I think 7/10 is a bloody great score... <clap>

If you cannot see what it means to get 100% then there is little point discussing it further...

I made the comment because I felt it was odd... do not sweat it... others have voted 10 as well, I'm just entitled to say if I agree or not.. it is a forum after all.... <pissed>

BMW are not at all worthy of a 10/10. They have made steps forward, but have plenty of room to improve. Arguably, you could say they are only doing so well because the likes of Honda, Renault, Toyota, and Red Bull have built relatively poor cars.

They are a reasonable distance away from McLaren and Ferrari, so don't deserve to be rated as a 10. McLaren are more arguable, as their reliability has been much improved and their pace infinitely improved, as well as having hired two brilliant drivers. I still think 9 is right for McLaren though for reasons of strategy and for currently having the second best car behind Ferrari.

<think> No one said they should be a 10... and I don't believe anyone has voted a 10.... <thumbsup>

This comment confused me John. I read the first line of your post and didn't really bother with the rest, to be honest. If I had I wouldn't have posted that.

<thumbsup> no problem... even BMW biased Me would not give them a 10...

Heck... I impressed others have voted 9.

agree, BMW are the most improved and still very reliable