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Good start to the weekend for Kubica

Nick Heidfeld (P9):
The grip level was very low, which was due to the temperatures and the rain as the track is a lot cooler than everybody expected. This was the problem today in terms of finding the right set-up and balance of the car. On my second run this afternoon I drove less than we originally planned because we did a set-up change after the first run, which cost us some time.

Robert Kubica (P10):
This wasn’t the sort of Friday I have been used to! It was a new track as I raced here once five years ago and I don’t remember a lot. I only did five flying laps so it was not easy, but I am looking forward to free practice tomorrow when we can do some more running. The track is really bumpy with very little grip, so it was not easy to push straightaway. The balance of the car was okay, there are a few things to improve but we know what to do.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
During the first session the track was drying, therefore, we decided to postpone the car set-up work until the afternoon session. The plan worked on both cars without any problems. Nick and Robert both ran some consecutive laps and were able to gain the necessary information about the tyres. As expected, Robert’s first day of the race weekend was good with no mistakes.

Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
Because of the unexpected low track temperatures practice was difficult today. We concentrated on getting a baseline and only ran in the afternoon when the track conditions were better. The main set-up work will be done tomorrow, as we expect it will be warmer then and there will be more rubber on the track.

Written: Fri, 04 Aug 2006 15:22:44