BMW have brought their biggest update of the year so far for the F1.09 to the Singapore Grand Prix.
The modified car includes a revised front wing similar to that introduced by Force India at Valencia, before the team’s upswing in performance.
The substantial aerodynamic revisions to the car include more deeply undercut sidepods, improvements to the double diffuser (an innovation the team were among the last to adopt) and a modified rear wing.
The car also has a brand new gearbox, which gave the same some trouble during practice today. Nick Heidfeld suffered a gearbox failure in the first session and had to have the unit replaced, and Robert Kubica had problems with a faulty gearbox sensor.
It’s too soon to tell how big an improvement the update is, but the team were encouraged to see Kubica finish the first session in fifth place and Heidfeld fourth in the second session.
This weekend boss Mario Theissen confirmed the team will use Ferrari engines in 2010. With major development work carrying on this late in the season, the signs are good that whatever becomes of BMW will remain a credible team next year.
Here are some more pictures of the updated car from a variety of angles. Will the revised F1.09 allow BMW to score points or challenge for the podium? Have your say below.
Images (C) BMW ag
IDR
25th September 2009, 21:01
Little bit confusing, the new one is one the RIGHT side of the pic, that is the LEFT side of the car.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
25th September 2009, 21:04
Yeah it is, just changed that, thanks.
RaV
25th September 2009, 21:02
I think the new wing is rather on the right hand side of the picture.
Salty
25th September 2009, 22:01
Damn but these front wings are getting fussy. Not looking to put a fluid-dynamicist’s nose outta joint, but wish they didn’t have movable wings and so many elements. It offends my desire to see a cleaner, simpler line – crikey, must be getting old *gulps*
Great to see the team pushing forward so hard on the F1.09, although given that there are still BWM €uros on tap, could be that the BMW croque of gold is empty when it comes to further dev on next years car (QB001?).
Hope the new version of the Hinwil team will be there in Bahrain next year.
Nick
25th September 2009, 23:06
It’s good to see that they’re still pushing the development of the F1.09 – they could so easily have just opted to coast for the rest of the season seeing as how they’re withdrawing. Although I’m sure Kubica would’ve mouthed off about that if they had.
gc.it
25th September 2009, 23:15
Although Heidfeld is fourth in the last practice session, to me it doesn’t seem that these changes helped BMW a lot. And to be honest I really don’t understand why they’re pushing so much if they’re about to close the team…
gc.it
25th September 2009, 23:16
And just another thing I forgot: the nose of this car is extraordinarly ugly :-S
mp4-19b
26th September 2009, 8:54
The eye sees what it want to see. We are all clouded, deluded. I dunno why are we forced to look at ugly cars.
Fer no.65
25th September 2009, 23:24
It could well be named: BMW “the ogre” F1.09
Not only it turned out to be a massive dissapointment this year after such a competitive year 2008 was, it’s also a hell of an ugly car!!!!!
At least they are trying hard… that’s positive
Alex291190
26th September 2009, 2:37
I think this years cars are really quite nice, at the start of the year they were a bit “Yuck!”, but they have kinda grown on me :)
gc.it
27th September 2009, 9:31
Probably because now we are used to them and tehy don’t seem too strange anymore…
wasiF1
26th September 2009, 4:10
BMW to use Ferrari engine looks like they will stay in F1.
Has Peter Sauber bought the team?
sumedh
26th September 2009, 5:02
Good improvements by BMW.
But what struck me most from the pictures is that there were so many other places Nelson Piquet could have crashed last year. If you see the bridge or the part that goes under the grandstand, a crane can’t even reach there.
Surely, that would have been a better spot.
But anyways, lets give that topic a rest.
Spinmonkey
26th September 2009, 7:28
Looks like they’re going for more downforce or am I crazy?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
26th September 2009, 7:59
Yeah they would have a more high-downforce solution here than Monza (where the left-hand-side of the wing comparison picture is from).
mp4-19b
26th September 2009, 8:50
I really dunno how BMW managed to mess it up so badly. After all they were the only team last year to give up development midway. that too after they had won their first race in Canada. Something must have gone wrong terribly on the technical side. Poor pity, they are chickening out instead of fighting.
Jimbo
26th September 2009, 9:17
Yeah, something to do with KERS maybe…
Not the panacea is was meant to be, and they weren’t the only ones caught out.
Eric
26th September 2009, 11:53
It was KERS that hurt them. I remember Theissen talking about how they focused largely on KERS and neglected the Aero a bit. Plus they didn’t see the double diffusers coming. I think that not being able to test hurt BMW a lot this year because they couldn’t figure out what exactly was wrong for a long time. Did Keith say the lefthand picture was from Monza? These wing plates are a lot more similar than I would have imagined considering the different downforce requirements of the Singapore circuit. The endplate changes are interesting as well. Much fussier, I hope it works for them.
Harv's
26th September 2009, 10:14
dont leave us bmw!
Michael
26th September 2009, 11:36
who win in qualifying?
kubica or heidfeld?
i think that kubica …
what is your opinion?
Brawn
26th September 2009, 14:56
The BMWs nose makes it the ugliest car on the grid.