In an eventful Australian Grand Prix, BMW Sauber F1 Team driver Nick Heidfeld secured second place and the team's maiden podium finish of the season. Robert Kubica also delivered a strong performance but was hit by another driver on lap 49 which resulted in his retirement.
Three safety-car periods, seven drivers making it to the finish line - and Nick finishing second, this equalled the best result in both the BMW Sauber F1 Team's short history and his own career. The German delivered a flawless race and succeeded in avoiding all the incidents that turned the 2008 Australian Grand Prix into one of the most eventful Formula One races in recent years.
At the start, Nick was passed by Williams' Nico Rosberg but successfully defended his fifth place as fourth-placed Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was part of a first-corner incident that caused the first safety-car period of the day. After the restart, Nick continued in fifth position and by the time of his first pit stop he had worked his way up to third position as Robert, and McLaren's previous race leader, and future winner Lewis Hamilton, had stopped earlier than the German. On lap 22, Nick and Nico Rosberg stopped simultaneously and thanks to the fantastic work of the BMW Sauber F1 Team pit crew, Nick succeeded in passing his compatriot during the stop.
The next safety-car period, on lap 27, was caused by Ferrari's Felipe Massa hitting the Red Bull of David Coulthard, which left the Scot stranded next to the track with a broken suspension. At this point in time, Nick held fifth position behind Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen who had not yet pitted. When Robert came in for his second stop when the pit-lane was opened at the end of the safety-car period, Nick moved up to fourth place. Both gained another position when Kimi Räikkönen attacked McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen for second place and went off into the gravel on lap 31.
Nick later benefited from a perfectly timed second pit stop on lap 45. Right after his stop, a crash involving Toyota's Timo Glock resulted in the third safety-car period of the race, costing Kovalainen, who still had to come in for his second stop, the lead. In the closing stages of the race, Nick delivered a truly mature performance and celebrated a fantastic second place. Robert was also on the way to securing several points for the Munich and Hinwil based squad, but at the restart following the third safety-car period he was involved in an incident with Williams' Kazuki Nakajima and forced to retire from sixth position.
"It was a great race and a great result," beamed BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen after the race. "Yes, we had a dose of luck with Nick's second pit stop," he admitted, "but in a race with three safety-car periods, you just need some luck as it always proves to be a strategy gamble."
