The new BMW F1.09 presented in Valencia

Photos of the new BMW F1.09
BMW today presented its 2009 Formula 1 World Championship car, the F1.09, at the Valencia circuit in Spain. The German team, which aims to fight for the title this year, was one of the first teams to run with the 2009 aerodynamic package in the last tests of 2008. There were therefore few surprises regarding the car.

“Developing a new Formula 1 is always exciting, but this time it was even more so” declared the technical coordinator, Willy Rampf, in reference to the new rules. “We really started from a blank sheet of paper. The transition from grooved tires to slicks means greater grip, for sure, but it also shifts the balance of forces forward: removing the grooves gives us a proportionally larger contact area at the front and more grip than the rear tires. Since the car is very different from its predecessor, we started working on the first ideas in February, two months earlier than normal and before the F1.08 ran its first race. Our goal was to create a car with high aerodynamic efficiency and recover most of the load eliminated by the new rules."

“The development of the F1.09 focused on three areas: aerodynamics, optimal use of the tires and integration of the KERS” added Walter Riedl, managing director of the team. “The F1.09 combines the experience of a highly motivated team, which will do everything to achieve its goals in its fourth year on the track.”

The Hinwil team was also one of the first to run with a KERS system on the track, hoping to have an advantage at the beginning of 2009. Mario Theissen, director of BMW Motorsport, said he was convinced that the retention system and reuse of energy will help F1 remain at the top of motorsport on a technological level.

“The development of KERS will see F1 in the role of pioneer in the adoption of technologies for series production. F1 will begin the development of a number of ideas that have not yet reached the level of reliability required for production cars and this development will proceed at full speed. At BMW we have always been used to using Formula 1 as a technological laboratory for series production. With KERS this approach enters a new dimension. Formula 1 will undergo a change of image, allowing the sport to acquire significant esteem from the public."

The F1.09 completed an installation lap immediately after the presentation and will begin a full test session today.