F1: Rampf happy with first Sauber test

BMW Sauber Technical Director Willy Rampf has declared himself satisfied after the opening F1 test of the season at Valencia last week.

The Swiss-based squad impressed at the Spanish track with its new Ferrari-powered BMW-Sauber C29 as drivers Pedro de La Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi racked up over 1000 trouble-free kilometres and set the second fastest time on all three days.

“All in all we can be satisfied with the reliability of the car,” said Rampf, who has stayed with the re-structured team in the wake of BMW’s withdrawal at the end of last season. “We completed 1,000 kilometres over the three days without encountering any major problems. Of course, we have to make some adjustments and modifications, but that’s what tests are there for.

“We will have worked through most of the points before the next test in Jerez. There’s nothing that we need to be seriously concerned about. For example, the rear of the engine cover was singed by the exhaust gases, so we’ll be using a different material for that.

“The drivers’ comments have been generally positive regarding factors such as braking stability, traction and the car’s responses under widely varying fuel loads.”

Rampf also claimed that, despite the huge upheaval at the team this off-season, both drivers have fitted in well.

“Both drivers are new to the team and so we’re all still getting to know each
Other,” he said. “However, the working relationship between the drivers and team has got off to a very good start.

“With Pedro you can see that his vast well of experience has given him a broad base of technical knowledge, which is extremely valuable for all involved. Kamui gets his impressions across very quickly, which means he can give the engineers the information they need to work out the changes required. All in all, the drivers and engineers are already working together very productively.”

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Andy Wilkinson