Zoom BMW running in the lower midfield with the F1.09

Robert Kubica, having last year questioned BMW Sauber's development direction, renewed his criticism of the Swiss-based team before leaving Bahrain.

After a disastrous outing at the Sakhir circuit, the Pole is quoted by the German news agency SID as saying: "We perhaps need to take a different path, because like last year the speed of our development has not been good."

Similarly, his German team-mate Nick Heidfeld was heard to remark in Bahrain that the F1.09 has seemed to get ‘worse and worse’ with every passing race so far this season.

Team Principal Mario Theissen said: "This situation is unusual for all of us. Since we began three years ago we only ever were going uphill. "

In the Swiss newspaper Blick, he added: "If we had nothing in the pipeline for Barcelona, we could be talking about us being in a low moment."

Kubica is even pessimistic about BMW's planned development upgrades for the forthcoming Spanish Grand Prix.

"Overall I don't think the picture is going to change much. We might be a bit closer (in Barcelona) but we are not suddenly going to jump from the seventh to the front row."

E.A. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM