BMW adamant they will fight for '09 title
BMW Sauber insist their goal for the 2009 season will be to fight for the championship, although team boss Mario Theissen admits he is not comfortable with the idea
"I don't feel comfortable but it's my own goal too and we have clear targets. F1 is definitely no comfort zone," Theissen told reporters during a BMW motorsports event in Munich over the weekend.
Theissen's comment came following a bold statement from BMW board member Klaus Draeger, who said: "In 2009 we will fight for the championship."
The German squad scored their maiden victory this year, although they were unable to match the development rate of the top teams in the latter part of the year.
In the end, BMW finished in third place in the standings.
Despite the late drop-off, Theissen admitted the team have reached all their goals since taking over the Sauber squad.
"BMW kept its schedule that was set in 2005 after acquiring Sauber: to be in the points in 2006, to be on the podium in 2007, to be on the top podium 2008," said Theissen.
"We made the two-way title campaign a three-way battle in the first half of the season. We did not have the fastest car in 2008, but the overall package counts.
"Reliability was an issue in 2007 and our focus on this in 2008 paid off as we had no single retirement because of a technical failure."
Share Or Save This Story
How Ratzenberger earned his tragically brief F1 shot
Red Bull sets 0.5s gap target for F1-opening Australian Grand Prix
Mercedes F1 boss Wolff: Renault will make 'biggest step' in 2018
History repeats as 70th anniversary of Mallory Park is celebrated
How Sutton's BTCC steamroller overcame Snetterton challenges
Rossi faces key decision: Who will replace di Giannantonio at VR46?
Red Bull reacts to Verstappen’s criticism – why ‘I told you’ moments are needed
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments