BMW Sauber celebrates the first pole in history

BMW Sauber celebrates its first career pole position and does so thanks to the fastest lap set by Robert Kubica in qualifying on the Bahrain circuit. A historic result for the German team, which interrupts the qualifying dominance of McLaren and Ferrari last year. Nick Heidfeld will start from sixth position tomorrow.

Robert Kubica: “I'm very happy. I missed the chance to take pole position in Australia, but today everything went well. My first lap in Q3 was good, but I made a mistake in the first corner. The second attempt was better, despite a small flaw at turn 9. Even before the start of the season we knew we had a competitive car, as demonstrated by the computer simulations and wind tunnel tests. We were finally rewarded for our work. I have to thank the entire team who have worked hard over the last few months. Now we will look at the data and prepare for tomorrow. It will be a long race."

Nick Heidfeld: “First of all I have to congratulate Robert (Kubica). Today's result is a great success for our team, and it's fantastic to have a car capable of taking first place on the grid. In light of these poles, I cannot be satisfied with my sixth place. I had a lot of difficulties in free practice, especially with regards to grip and tire exploitation in the single lap. Compared to Friday we have improved the balance of the car and the race pace is very good. I have no reason to throw in the towel before the start of the race."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): “It's a fantastic day for Robert (Kubica) and our young team. The pole position was an unexpected result. We are only in our third season, but we have already managed to achieve first place. This pole, the 256th race for Sauber, is a further step forward for us. Robert (Kubica) did a perfect lap, while Nick (Heidfeld) said he was disappointed with these qualifyings, but tomorrow he will have the chance to have a good race even starting from the third row".

Williy Rampf (technical director): “This is a truly special day. We have Robert (Kubica) to thank for this result. Congratulations to him, although it must be said that he was fast from the first practice session on Friday. Nick also starts from a good position. We can't wait for the race to start."

Source: BMW Sauber F1