BMW Sauber boss Mario Theissen has promised that his team will continue pushing forward for more success in 2008 despite having already achieved its target for the season by winning a race.
The Hinwil-based squad completed its main aim for the year by winning its maiden grand prix in Canada, the third year in succession in which it has achieved its pre-season target.
Robert Kubica’s victory in Montreal, coupled with the team’s consistent start to the season, has thrust BMW into contention alongside Ferrari and McLaren in both drivers’ and constructors’ championship battles.
And while Theissen says the outfit will not get ahead of itself after the success so far, it is not about to take its foot off the gas either.
“Our target for the 2008 season was to turn the two-horse race at the top of the standings into a three-way battle and to win our first race,” he said.
“Our 1-2 result in Montreal means we have achieved both goals after just seven races of the season.
“Clearly, we are not about to sit back and relax now.
“The whole team is hugely motivated and is looking to build on our success so far.
“However, that does not mean that we will be deviating from our course.
“The next goal is always the next race, and that is where our focus lies.”
Theissen believes the team is strong enough to continue profiting from any Ferrari and McLaren slip-ups and can achieve further success on that basis this year.
“For us it is all about using our strengths and ensuring that we are there to take advantage if our rivals make mistakes,” he said.
“With this attitude within the team, I think we have a good chance of exceeding expectations again this season.”
With the sport’s technical regulations set for a dramatic overhaul next year, title-chasing teams in particular face the tricky challenge of appropriately splitting their development programmes for the rest of the season between this and next year’s cars.
And with BMW now in with a chance of the world championship, Theissen says the team must ensure it finds the right balance between both ongoing programmes.
“The challenge, of course, is to keep up with the development pace of the big teams over the course of this season and, at the same time, to push ahead with conceptual work on the F1.09,” he said.
“To this end, we will assign the available capacity very precisely to the areas where we need it, especially when it comes to aerodynamics.”