BMW Sauber: The Potential for More?

BMW Sauber: The Potential for More?
By: Jeremy McMullen

At the start of last season there were many questions surrounding the new BMW Sauber alliance. The question everyone, in and around Formula One, had was, 'How good could they be?' The question was asked with a genuine amount of doubt and an unsure feeling. This year, however, the same question remains but with a noted excitement, impatience, and expectation, 'How good could they be?!' BMW Sauber took the first step in building that excited anticipation when it literally blew the veil of its new F1.07 chassis in Valencia, Spain.

After a short light display to get the excitement to build, a globe-like veil was pulled away to reveal BMW Sauber's latest commitment toward the Formula One championship. Motorsports Director for BMW, Mario Theissen, admitted, however, the team was still a couple of years away from making a real run at the championship. But to compete in Formula One, and to be successful, there has to be commitment.

Only a few years ago there were only three teams truly battling for the top points scoring positions. Last year, gave further proof those days have changed and BMW Sauber's F1.06 was right in the middle of the mix. So, could the new F1.07 have what it takes to be a race winner? Mario Theissen made it clear that was the focus and aim this year. Though perhaps unable to win outright, the plan is that the F1.07 would be in close enough contention to take advantage of any mistakes or misfortunes. Undoubtedly, the BMW powerplant has what it takes to get the job done. Time will tell whether the new .07 combines the necessary aero revisions to effectively take advantage of its powerplant and be in a position to win races. And due to the new homologation rules in effect this year, more emphasis has been placed on aerodynamic tweaks and component efficiency to make up the necessary performance losses.

Building off of last year's basic design, this year's F1.07 touts refined designs of the nose, cooling inlets, and rear diffuser. This year's design, however, also incorporates advances in chassis strengthening and design, gearbox technology, suspension and steering technology, as well as, electronics upgrades.

The F1.07's nose has been raised compared to last year's design allowing increased airflow through to the diffuser. The nose is also shorter than the F1.06 extending only a couple of inches past the vertical front wing supports. The suspension members incorporate refined aerodynamics and improved steering feedback. This year's .07 does, however, retain the zero-keel design that was employed on last year's .06.

BMW Sauber made some minor modifications to the mid-section of the car's design. Some of the modifications include larger radiator cooling inlets though they are still bearing the side-turned V-style inlets as existing on the F1.06. The barge boards in front of the radiator cooling inlets sport a couple of sets of turning vanes to help direct the flow of air around the car. Of course some of the biggest modification changes from last year's design include the sidepod flicks that are appearing on almost every car design, and the introduction of chimneys. While the flicks are meant to control the flow of air around the sidepod, this year's design incorporates the chimney/T-wing design into one piece. This year's .07 uses fewer shark-gill style cooling slots. So, to overcome potential overheating problems chimneys have been added into the design to help with cooling while minimizing the impact on the flow of air around the car and toward the rear wing. The T-wing remains to help stabilize the middle of the car.

The F1.07 uses a slightly smaller and less pronounced dorsal style vertical board than that found on the F1.06. However, the rear end of the engine cowling is more tightly-fit. The exhaust stacks on the F1.07, as well as, the design of the rear flicks have been modified. The rear diffuser has been slimmed down as well due to the impact of the longer, but slimmer, quick-shift gearbox design. Despite these changes, the front and rear wings remain largely unchanged. In fact, the .07 even incorporates the same slits in the endplates of the rear wing to help alleviate disturbed air built up around the endplates from upsetting airflow through the rear wing. Some of the more important changes to this year's BMW Sauber maybe those located under its skin. The F1.07 will use the seamless shift gearbox which will allow gear-shifts without there being any break in traction. The new BMW Sauber will also incorporate a central electronics unit which will control engine parameters from one centralized location instead of at many points throughout the car.

All of these changes have encouraged the BMW Sauber team about the prospects of greater success. While the main thrust for the championship may not come for another couple of years, the changes incorporated in this year's F1.07 poise the team, they believe, on the verge of achieving some race victories.

Of course a lot of the potential for success will come down to the drivers. However, if BMW Sauber has been able to give their drivers a capable and competitive car, the team may be able to make doors of opportunity open up for themselves instead of having to wait for them. The state of competitiveness in Formula One is strong and that competitiveness includes BMW Sauber. The F1.06's success has proved team BMW Sauber to be real contenders for points in this year's championship. This fact begs the question, 'How good could they be?'

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