BMW Sauber F1 Team was a Formula One racing team that competed in the FIA Formula One World Championship from 2006 to 2009, following BMW’s purchase of the Sauber team. The team was based in Hinwil, Switzerland, at the Sauber Motorsport headquarters, with BMW providing full works support and engines. BMW Sauber is notable for winning a race in its first season as a full constructor, achieving several podiums, and consistently challenging at the midfield and occasionally the front of the grid during its tenure.
At the end of the 2009 season, the team was sold back to Peter Sauber, and reverted to the Sauber name in 2011.
History[]
Formation[]
The BMW Sauber team was formed in 2005, when the German automotive manufacturer BMW purchased a 100% stake in the Swiss Sauber F1 Team, which had competed in Formula One since 1993. The purchase marked BMW’s return to Formula One as a works team after supplying engines to teams like Williams and Brabham in previous decades.
BMW retained the Sauber base in Hinwil, Switzerland, combining it with BMW’s technical expertise and funding to develop competitive cars.
2006 Season[]
The 2006 season was BMW Sauber’s debut as a full works team, using the BMW P86 V8 engine. Drivers were:
- Nick Heidfeld (Germany)
- Jacques Villeneuve (Canada), later replaced mid-season by Robert Kubica (Poland)
The team finished fifth in the Constructors’ Championship, scoring several points finishes and showing promising performance for a new works team.
2007 Season[]
In 2007, BMW Sauber signed Robert Kubica full-time alongside Nick Heidfeld. The team became a consistent points-scorer, achieving multiple podiums:
- Notable Achievement: Kubica won the Canadian Grand Prix, giving BMW Sauber its first and only Formula One race victory.
- The team finished second in the Constructors’ Championship, behind Ferrari, marking their most successful season.
2008 Season[]
The 2008 season saw BMW Sauber remain competitive, although they struggled against Ferrari and McLaren for wins. The team introduced several innovative upgrades and aerodynamic concepts throughout the year.
- Best Result: Multiple podium finishes, including second places for Kubica and Heidfeld.
- BMW Sauber finished third in the Constructors’ Championship.
2009 Season[]
The 2009 season was more challenging due to major regulation changes, including aerodynamic revisions and the introduction of slick tires. The BMW Sauber F1.09 car was competitive in some races, but reliability and development pace limited results.
- Best Result: Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld scored podiums in selected races, but the team fell behind the front-runners.
- At the end of 2009, BMW announced its withdrawal from Formula One, selling the team back to Peter Sauber, who returned it to the Sauber F1 Team identity for the 2010 season.
Formula One World Championship summary[]
| Year | Team | Car | Tyres | Engine | Drivers | WCC Results | Test Drivers | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | BMW Sauber F1 Team | F1.06 | M | BMW P86 |  Nick Heidfeld Jacques Villeneuve Robert Kubica
|
5th (36 pts) | Robert Kubica Sebastian Vettel Marco Holzer |
Report |
| 2007 | BMW Sauber F1 Team | F1.07 | B | BMW P86/7 | Nick Heidfeld Robert Kubica Sebastian Vettel
|
2nd (101 pts) | Sebastian Vettel Timo Glock Ho-Pin Tung |
Report |
| 2008 | BMW Sauber F1 Team | F1.08 | B | BMW P86/8 | Nick Heidfeld Robert Kubica
|
3rd (145 pts) | Christian Klien Marko Asmer |
Report |
| 2009 | BMW Sauber F1 Team | F1.09 | B | BMW P86/9 | Nick Heidfeld Robert Kubica
|
6th (36 pts) | Christian Klien | Report |
Complete Formula One results[]
- Main article: BMW Sauber/Results
| V T E |  BMW
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Personnel Willy Rampf · Peter Sauber · Mario Theissen | ||
Drivers Ernst Klodwig ·  Marcel Balsa · Günther Bechem · Rudolf Krause · Nick Heidfeld · Robert Kubica · Sebastian Vettel · Jacques Villeneuve
| ||
| Cars (as Constructor) Eigenbau · Special · 269 | ||
Cars (as Engine Supplier) Frazer Nash (1952): 421 AFM (1952–1953): 6 Klenk (1954): Meteor Lola (1967–1968): T100 · T102 Brabham (1982–1987): BT50 · BT52/BT52B · BT53 · BT54 · BT55 · BT56 ATS (1983–1984): D6 · D7 Arrows (1984–1988)*: A7 · A8 · A9 · A10/A10B Benetton (1986): B186 Ligier (1987)*: JS29B/JS29C Williams (2000–2005): FW22 · FW23 · FW24 · FW25 · FW26 · FW27 BMW Sauber (2006–2009): F1.06 · F1.07 · F1.08 · F1.09
| ||
| Full Results BMW · BMW Sauber | ||
| * Indicates as BMW engines were re-badged as Megatron in 1987 and 1988. | ||
| V T E |  Sauber F1 Team
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Drivers 5.  Gabriel Bortoleto · 27. Hülkenberg
| ||
| Former drivers Bottas · Ericsson · Leclerc · Wehrlein · Nasr · Pérez · Kobayashi · Kubica · Heidfeld · Räikkönen · Zhou · more | ||
| Former Personnel Frédéric Vasseur · Pascal Picci · Alex Sauber · Eric Gandelin · Timothée Guerin · Axel Kruse · Beat Zehnder | ||
| Engine Suppliers Ilmor (1993) · Mercedes (1994) · Ford (1995-96) · Petronas (1997-2005) · Ferrari (2010-2018) | ||
| Cars C12 · C13 · C14 · C15 · C16 · C17 · C18 · C19 · C20 · C21 · C22 · C23 · C24 · F1.06 · F1.07 · F1.08 · F1.09 · C29 · C30 · C31 · C32 · C33 · C34 · C35 · C36 · C37 · C44 | ||
| See also BMW Sauber · Alfa Romeo | ||
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