Formula One: Bmw Cautious on Eve of Their Debut Season

BMW are well aware they face a long haul to achieve formula one success and that stark reality was underlined yesterday with the unveiling of their new grand-prix challenger at the Valencia circuit in Spain. The F1.06 to be driven by Jacques Villeneuve and Nick Heidfeld is seen as a cautious start following the decision to drop Williams as an engine supply partner and buy the Sauber team instead.

"In our first season we will mainly be gathering experience," said Mario Theissen, the BMW motorsport director. "In 2005, Sauber came eighth in the Constructors' world championship. That is our starting point. From there we aim to work our way up as quickly as possible. You can't do that overnight, needless to say. It requires patience and endurance. We have both."

That patience clearly ran out with the Williams team at the end of last season after six years and only 10 grand-prix victories. Team insiders hint that BMW wanted more control over the chassis development than Williams were prepared to concede while the British team judged that the partnership had run its course and it was better for both to pursue their own separate programmes.

"Setting up a new team is a very complex task," says Villeneuve who won the world championship driving for Williams in 1997 before switching to the emergent BAR squad two years later. "I've been through it before. But I believe that the prerequisites that have come together here are good. I want to do my best to help the BMW Sauber team achieve success."