Consolidate our position among the leaders - Theissen

A challenging state-of-the-art circuit, further modifications for the BMW Sauber F1.08 and the season premiere of the Pit Lane Park: BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen provides important information around the fifth round of the 2008 Formula One season, the Turkish Grand Prix.

"Our targets for the Turkish Grand Prix are clear: we want to consolidate our position among the leaders, where Ferrari currently is the yardstick. For the fifth race of the season we will be making detail improvements to the F1.08 again. The layout of this ultra-modern circuit on the Asian side of Istanbul is a real achievement and presents a true challenge. The race has been moved from the height of summer to this earlier date, which should make quite a difference to the demands on the teams and their material. Last year we had to contend with air temperatures of 36 degrees on race day.

"For the Formula One teams and their partners, an international metropolis like Istanbul is an excellent platform. For the first time in the 2008 season we have the BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park in tow. It gives fans a chance to grasp - in the truest sense of the word - what they can normally only see from a distance. We have significantly extended the Park again, which now has space to accommodate even more visitors. Plus it now features new high-tech exhibits with which visitors are invited to experiment."