Progress on BMW-Sauber’s 2007 car is “on schedule”, according to team boss Mario Theissen.
The German squad will launch the ‘F1.07’ at Valencia in mid January, and Theissen told eurosport.de that the car’s progress can be compared with how the extension of the Hinwil factory is going.
“We are on schedule and the numerical values from the wind tunnel are very positive,” he said.
Since BMW took over Sauber a year ago, it has moved to within 30 people of its staff goal of 430, and Theissen explained: “The extension of the factory is on schedule, and the same can be said of the development of the new car.”
BMW-Sauber, however, endured a difficult start to the winter period, and test driver Sebastian Vettel noted that the squad particularly struggled to adapt to Bridgestone’s control tyre.
“We had some teething problems with IT infrastructure at the track and our new gearbox as well,” Theissen said of the first winter tests in Spain.
But asked about Vettel’s tyre observations, Theissen insisted: “The initial impression was not that bad.
“We expected a bigger difference to what we had before. It looks like our car can cope with it.”
GMMF1
DailyF1News.com
