by Russell Atkins

TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW IN FULL: 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:CLICK HERE

BMW firmly established itself as the🅺 third-quickest team in Formula 1 in 2007, but with a gꦅap ahead to Ferrari and McLaren and a similar gap behind to the chasing pack, drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica occasionally found themselves with only each other to battle against during the races.

That is a scenario the German outfit's motorsport director Dr Mario Theissen hopes will not be repeated in 2008, as BMW bids to step up a gear and really take the fight to McLaren and Ferrari at the head of the pack. The 55-year-old spoke to mahbx.com Radio about his feelings in the lead-up to ꦡthe forthcoming campaign...

Q:
Mario, Happ🐈y New Year first of all. How excited are you about the new Formuꦛla 1 campaign?

Mario Theissen:
I'm really excited about the new c🌠ar, I have to say. I've closely watched its development, but it was the first time for me to see it in its full livery [at the launch], and it looks fantastic.

Q:
With all the changes to the regulations this year - including the ban𝓀 on traction control a💝nd the introduction of the new standard ECU transmission - has that meant more hard work than usual over the winter months?

MT:
On the powertrain side, definitely. One has to say w🌳e have had less work with the combustion engine itself, but a lot of work on the electr🥂onics and transmission, and we have started to work already on the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) for 2009.

Q:
How pleased are you with your two drivers, Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica? Obviously they boꩲth drove for the tea𝔍m last year too - how important is it to have that continuity?

MT:
Continuity is important; it's not just about talent in Fꦺormula 1 as a racing driver. It's also about passion, about experience, about professionalism, and I think we have two strong drivers. Nick is quite experienced already - he can do anything with the right car - and Robert has very good prospects. I hope he will have a strong season to enable him to really go for victories in the future.

Q:
B๊MW scored points in every single race in 2007. How tough will it be to emulate that in 2008?

MT:
It's always tough; you can never rest on what you have achieved the year before, but we are confident we have taken the next step. We're looking forwards, notඣ backw🍨ards.

Q:
You talk about the next step. Back when you launched BMW's F1 programme the aim w🐼as for points in 2006 and podiums in 2007. You achieved all that, so surely the next step now is victory?

MT:
Yeah, that's true. We want to win our fir💞st race ꦫin 2008.

Q:
How difficult will that be with opposition of the cal🎶ibre of McLaren, Ferrari and Renault..?

MT:
Obviously it will be very tough. Not only were these teams [McLare♚n and Ferrari] about half a second quickꦫer than us last year, but they also have the strongest development capacity, so if we want to catch them it means we have to gain half a second more than them.

Q:
So the ultimate target for 2008 would be..?

MT:
To turn the fight between two teams at th🍌e front into a fight⭕ between three.

TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW IN FULL: 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:CLICK HERE