By BMW Sauber F1 Team
June 6 2008

In recent years, the "Circuit Gilles Villeneuve" has suited the BMW Sauber F1 Team well. In the first free practice session for this year's Canadian GP, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld demonstrated that this should also be the case in 2008. In the end, they finished second and fourth. The first free practice session for the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix was held in mixed conditions, with the temperatures being relatively cold (17° C). The session started on a damp track. For about 70 minutes, the fans watching on TV and in the grandstands had to cope with limited action on the track.

In the final 20 minutes of the session, however, on a largely dry track, things got more dynamic. All the top teams went out on dry-weather tyres and the BMW Sauber F1 Team pairing proved to be very competitive.

In the early stages of the session, Robert and Nick both completed a short three-lap stint on wet tyres and even then they temporarily secured top positions.

Then, in their long-runs completed in the closing stages, they once again proved to again be among the quickest. In permanently improving conditions, Robert and Nick bettered their lap times again and again. Whenever one of the two BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers crossed the finish line, he took the lead in the team-internal battle and moved further up the timesheets at the same time.

In the end, Robert was the last of the two to set a timed lap, setting a personal best time of 1:17.809 minutes to secure second place behind Ferrari's Felipe Massa. Nick finished fourth behind McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen, with his 1:18.182-minute lap.

In the second free practice session (14:00 to 15:30hrs local time, 19:00 to 20:30hrs BST) which is expected to take place in dry conditions, the BMW Sauber F1 Team will continue its preparations for the remainder of the weekend.