BMW ready to use new Kers system

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BMW say their new energy storage and power boost system (Kers) is ready for the start of the season on 29 March.

The technology stores energy that would have been wasted while braking and allows drivers a boost of an extra 80bhp for seven seconds each lap.

BMW are the first team to say their system is ready - but have not decided whether to use it.

"Our Kers is race-ready," said team boss Mario Theissen. "Now it is just a matter of weighing the pros and cons."

BMW will decide whether to fit Kers to their cars in Melbourne, Australia, where practice starts on 27 March, after evaluating a complex set of parameters determining whether it will give them an overall performance advantage or not.

"On the positive side, the drivers would have an extra 82 horsepower at their disposal for 6.6 seconds per lap," said Theissen.

BMW Sauber lose sponsorship deal

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Formula One racing team BMW Sauber have lost one of their main backers ahead of the new season after Credit Suisse opted not to renew their deal.

That contract ended in 2008 and Credit Suisse will now "focus on regional sporting and cultural activities".

"We think that the team is on a good path and so now is the right time to say goodbye," continued the statement.

A BMW Sauber spokesman told BBC Sport that it would have "no impact" on the team's budget for 2009.

"It will have absolutely no influence on that," he said.

"The budget for 2009 is fixed, we are happy with it, and we move on as always.

"The search for new sponsors is ongoing, as it always is, but it is not something we can set a deadline on.

"We are having some interesting discussions with various parties and we will see how they develop."

Credit Suisse was the main sponsor of Switzerland's privately owned Sauber race team from 2001 to 2005 and stayed on when the outfit was taken over by BMW at the start of 2005.

Last season was the team's best so far, with BMW Sauber celebrating its first win at the Canadian Grand Prix and finishing third in the constructors' championship.

BMW Sauber are due to unveil their 2009 car on Tuesday, after a winter in which F1 has been forced to face harsh economic realities.

The sport's bosses have repeatedly called for teams to implement cost-cutting measures, and new regulations for the 2009 season include limits on testing and other rules to curb spending.

Honda pulled out of F1 in December, but the sport's remaining teams have all voiced their commitment to shaping a more cost-effective future for the sport.

BMW Sauber target title challenge

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BMW Sauber are aiming for a serious championship challenge after unveiling their car for the 2009 season.

Team drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld took the F1.09 for its maiden laps at Valencia's Ricardo Tormo track.

BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen said the team were on course for a title bid after achieving their targets in each of the past three seasons.

The team finished third in the constructors' championship in 2008, behind winners Ferrari and McLaren.

Kubica and Heidfeld took first and second places in the Canadian Grand Prix as BMW collected 11 podium finishes last year.

Pole Kubica led the drivers' championship following the win in Canada, while BMW topped the team standings after three races.

Kubica, 24, said: "Last year we saw that by working together we can achieve good results, and in particular in the first half of the season we were title contenders.

"But everybody remembers how it finished, so we will try to repeat the first half of the season and finish in a better way than last year."

German driver Heidfeld, 31, said he was confident he could have a shot at the title.

"I believe I can win when the car is right, the situation is there, and I believe I can fight for the championship," he said.

New rules for the forthcoming season have introduced major changes to the cars in an attempt to make overtaking easier and improve the quality of racing.

These include changes to the aerodynamics, the re-introduction of slick, untreaded tyres after 11 years with grooved rubber and the potential use of a kinetic energy recovery system (Kers), which stores energy that would have been dissipated during braking and reapplies it while the car is accelerating.

Kubica and Heidfeld stay with BMW

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BMW Sauber will stick with drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld for 2009, ruling out the possibility of Fernando Alonso joining the team.

BMW were among the teams courting the Spanish double world champion but announced on Monday they would retain their current line up.

It leaves Alonso with the choice of staying at Renault or accepting an offer from struggling Honda.

A BMW statement said Kubica and Heidfeld was a "strong driver pairing".

"We are in no doubt that we will again achieve our ambitious aims with them in the team's fourth year," BMW Motorsport director Mario Theissen said.

Austrian Christian Klien will also stay on as the team's test and reserve driver.

BMW had been considered one of the front-runners in the race to sign Alonso, and their decision to retain Heidfeld and Kubica will be the subject of much discussion at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

Kubica, who took his maiden Grand Prix victory in Canada in June, is regarded as a star of the future but Heidfeld is not considered in the same bracket.

Alonso, who ended a season's disappointment at Renault with victory in the Singapore Grand Prix last month, has said he will announce a decision on his future at the end of the season.

Renault had a difficult start to the year, with Alonso struggling even to get the car into the top 10 in qualifying, but have made progress in the second half of the season and are in a battle with Toyota to secure fourth place in the constructors' championship.

Ferrari and McLaren are battling for top spot, with BMW secure in third place.

There are three races remaining, with China following a week after Japan and the season closer in Brazil on 2 November.

BMW Sauber

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BMW Sauber are continuing the steady progress that seems destined to lead to them being title contenders soon.

This low-key, purposeful team have made tangible steps forward every year since BMW took them over in 2006.

They started this season closer to the front than ever and have split the big two on occasions, even achieving a fortuitous win in Canada.

But there is a nagging sense that they have lost some of the ground on their rivals since then.

Nationality: Swiss
Drivers:
Nick Heidfeld (Ger)
Robert Kubica (Pol)
Engine: BMW V8
Tyres: Bridgestone
Team principal: Peter Sauber
F1 history: 2006-
2007 position: 2nd
Drivers' titles: 0
Constructors' titles: 0