mario theissen

Article courtesy of the Red Bulletin. You can check out the November issue of the Red Bulletin in full at: www.redbulletin.com

Reports begin to circulate that the mysterious Qadbak consortium that rescued Sauber in the wake of BMW's F1 withdrawal is not what it seems - and that it is in fact being spearheaded by convicted fraudster Russell King...

Nick Heidfeld has set out his stall to potential future F1 employers by reminding the paddock that - as he is set to be left without a drive following BMW's withdrawal at the end of the 2009 campaign - he still has a lot to offer at the highest level.

BMW boss Mario Theissen has revealed that 'his' team will continue 'working flat-out' on developing its 2009 car - the F1.09, despite the fact it has proved woefully uncompetitive.

BMW has dropped hints that it may be willing to follow fellow German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz in supplying 'customer' versions of its engines to other F1 teams - with suggestions the Bavarian marque has Red Bull Racing as its prime target.

Record-breaking Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher has warned Max Mosley against forcing through his controversial and unpopular budget cap in the top flight in 2010, urging that the FIA President 'cannot expect drastic changes to be accepted by such important manufacturers' - and stress

Nick Heidfeld - 11th:

Flying in the face of the opinions expressed by both Ferrari and BMW over the past week, Ross Brawn has thrown his support behind the FIA's new optional ?40 million budget cap in Formula 1, warning that without it the top flight risks 'turning [engineers] into Swiss watchmakers' - but equally und

In a race full of incident, Jarno Trulli probably came off worse than anyone in the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai today, after being rear-ended by the BMW-Sauber of Robert Kubica into the final corner, with the speed differential of the two cars destroying the Toyota's back section on the spot.

Sebastian Vettel has apologised to Robert Kubica for having caused the collision between the pair in the closing stages of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend - costing both a podium finish in the 2009 curtain-raiser and, BMW-Sauber contend, costing the latter a likely win.

Robert Kubica has admitted that he still cannot explain his sudden slump in form towards the end of the 2008 Formula 1 season - a drop-off so serious that it saw him fail to qualify inside the top ten for the final two races and almost indeed fall victim to the dreaded Q1, score no points in two

The pair may be close friends away from the race track, but Robert Kubica backed up Fernando Alonso's revelation that BMW-Sauber was 'never' a serious option for him for 2009 [see separate story -

Nick Heidfeld may have raced to his tenth points-scoring result of the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship in the sport's inaugural Singapore Grand Prix at the weekend - in the process lifting him to within a single marker of defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen in the drivers' standings - but h

BMW-Sauber has confirmed that it is in talks with former double Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso about a potential drive at the team next year.

Nick Heidfeld again used his experience, strong racecraft and wet weather expertise to good effect in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps today - as he mastered the treacherous conditions to perfection to secure his fourth rostrum finish of the 2008 Formula 1 campaign, and with it regain

BMW-Sauber has admitted that it is at a loss to explain its poor performance in last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix - a race in which the squad produced by some margin its worst showing of the 2008 season to-date.

S?bastien Bourdais has been demoted five grid positions for being deemed to have impeded BMW-Sauber rival Nick Heidfeld during the opening phase of qualifying in Budapest for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.

For the first time this year, Dr Mario Theissen has suggested that BMW-Sauber will retain an unchanged driver line-up in Formula 1 in 2009 - seeming to quell speculation about Nick Heidfeld's future at the squad.

After a difficult start to the 2008 season, BMW has returned to form in the World Touring Car Championship with three wins in the last four races.

Ross Brawn has suggested Super Aguri's demise was due in no small part to its fellow teams' instinct for self-preservation over the health of the sport.

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