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Kubica finishes second in a wild Grand Prix of Monaco
BMW-Sauber’s Robert Kubica finished second in a dramatic Grand Prix of Monaco. The overall win went to McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, while pole-sitter Felipe Massa of Ferrari finished third. Kubica’s teammate Nick Heidfeld finished fourteenth, the victim of two hits, an early-race rear-ender by Jenson Button and a later impossible passing attempt by Fernando Alonso in the Station Hairpin.
The race began in the wet, so tire choices played a critical role in race strategy. All teams started on intermediates, with some switching to more extreme full wet tires later. The track remained wet even as the rain stopped, so most stayed on intermediates until well into the race. Renault’s Fernando Alonso was the first to switch to dry tires; his change came on lap 46 of the 76-lap contest.
 BMW-Sauber's Robert Kubica finished second in the Grand Prix of Monaco (BMW AG photo)
The weather led to many incidents and retirements, and to two safety car periods. Even Hamilton, the race winner, hit the wall early in the race; the incident forced him to come in for an early tire change, but did no damage to the suspension.
In part because of the conditions, there were some surprising cars among the front-runners. One, Force India’s Adrian Sutil, ran a very strong race; he seemed assured of a fourth-place finish until he was taken out by Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who was struggling to keep his car under control after his brakes locked up with just five laps left.
Kubica had qualified fifth, but he started fourth as Heikki Kovalienen’s fourth-place McLaren would not start on the grid. Kovalainen returned to finish eighth. Kubica ran a steady race, trading fast laps with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and leading for a time. He came out behind Massa after his last stop, but Felipe, who had been on a one-stop strategy, had to pit again for dry tires late in the race. He was unable to overtake Kubica after he returned to the circuit.
Heidfeld’s weekend was difficult from the beginning. After qualifying in the top ten in 28 consecutive races, he qualified thirteenth in Monaco. He was unable to get in a final attempt at a fast lap in the second qualifying session because of a red flag brought out by David Coulthard’s crash.
BMW Motorsport Director Dr. Mario Theissen said, “We expected a drama here in Monaco and the Weather God gave it to us. It was essential to continuously adjust our race strategy according to the weather and the incidents on the track. With Robert this worked perfectly, so he was able to move up from fifth on the grid to second. Nick had an exceptionally good start and had fought his way through to fifth when his car was damaged in a collision. This dropped him out of the points. It was our fourth podium in 2008 and a strong performance from the team.”
After Monaco, Kubica is fourth in drivers’ points, with 32 points. Hamilton leads with 38, Raikkonen is second with 35, Massa is third with 34, and Heidfeld remains in fifth with 20. Ferrari is first in Constructor’s points, with 69, while McLaren in second with 53 and BMW-Sauber is a close third with 52.
Brian S. Morgan
Motorsports Editor
bmwcca.org
BMW-Sauber release
Monte Carlo (MC). Finishing second in the most prestigious Grand Prix of the year, Robert Kubica made sure he took part in the podium celebrations held in the principality’s famous winners’ lounge. It was the team’s fourth podium this season and their eighth overall. Kubica’s team mate, Nick Heidfeld, who has four podiums to his credit, had a black Sunday. Having started from 12th he had improved to fifth when Fernando Alonso (Renault) hit the side of his car on lap 14. In the end Heidfeld brought his damaged F1.08 to the chequered flag in 14th and last place.
Robert Kubica: 2nd
BMW Sauber F1.08-03 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:17.933 min on lap 75 (5th fastest overall)
“I am very happy with the result. I didn’t expect us to have the pace to finish second. It was a great race with very difficult driving conditions, and we did not expect such heavy rain. I had visibility and tyre problems throughout the whole race. I was trying to do as few mistakes as possible, as it is very dangerous if you make a mistake here.“
Nick Heidfeld: 14th
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:20.251 min on lap 72 (14th fastest overall)
“After the awful qualifying yesterday the early laps of the race went very well for me, despite the tricky track conditions. I was up to fifth, but unfortunately Fernando Alonso made a mistake and crashed into the side of my car. This caused heavy damage to the left hand side of my car, and due to a puncture I had to pit. I was then last and, because of the damaged car, I had no chance at all to improve. It is a Sunday to forget. But this is not too easy.”
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
“We expected a drama here in Monaco and the Weather God gave it to us. It was essential to continuously adjust our race strategy according to the weather and the incidents on the track. With Robert this worked perfectly, so he was able to move up from fifth on the grid to second. Nick had an exceptionally good start and had fought his way through to fifth when his car was damaged in a collision. This dropped him out of the points. It was our fourth podium in 2008 and a strong performance from the team.”
Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
“This was not a race for the nervous. The conditions at the start were very difficult. Because of the uncertainty over the weather it was crucial to make the right tyre decision for the first stint. Robert stayed cool and, even during the period with the worst visibility, he didn’t make any mistake. We continuously had to adapt our strategy, so it was a true challenge for the engineers on the pit wall. Nick gained a lot of places after the start, and was doing well in the race in fifth when he was the victim of a crash and ended up at the back of the pack in a hopeless situation. After the fourth podium this year we are quite happy with the amount of points we have scored in the first third of the season.”
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