The BMW Sauber Formula One team will travel to Abu Dhabi this week with mixed feelings as it will be a first and last for the team who will be leaving the sport come Sunday afternoon. The eight points they collected in Brazil two weeks ago have allowed them to move up a place in the Constructors’ Championship, and as such they will be highly motivated at the final race of the season in an attempt to steal sixth place from Toyota.

Brazil was the first race in which the Hinwil based squad have been able to fully exploit the potential of the car since the extensive package of modifications were introduced in Singapore, and they are now expecting to have a strong race in Abu Dhabi where they will be pulling out all the stops to finish the season on a positive note in their seventieth and final GP event.

“We are looking forward to racing at the new Formula One venue and can’t wait to experience the atmosphere at the marina circuit,” said Mario Theissen. “However, there will of course also be a fair amount of sadness within the team as we set off for Abu Dhabi. After all, this will be our 70th and final race with the BMW Sauber F1 Team. “With the exception of our fourth and unfortunately final season, I’m more than satisfied with what we have achieved since 2006.”

“In the first three years after the team was founded, we met – and even exceeded – all the aims we set ourselves. We recorded two podium finishes in our first season on the grid, and in our second season we established ourselves as the third-strongest team in the championship. This was the year in which Robert suffered his horrific crash in Montreal. It felt like an eternity until we finally heard the good news that he was ok. The relief meant we were able to celebrate Nick’s second place in suitable style. It was in Montreal a year later that we enjoyed our greatest success.”

“From the moment that Robert and Nick crossed the finish line in quick succession to record a 1-2 result, there was no stopping us. We remained part of a three-way battle for the title almost until the end of the season. We notched up 11 podium finishes in total in 2008 and our reliability was excellent. “Of course, the whole team is disappointed that we have been unable to build on this success in 2009, as we had hoped to have a say in the title race. But we have never thrown in the towel, even after BMW announced its withdrawal from Formula One, which shows the strong character of our team. I hope that the successor to the BMW Sauber F1 Team will continue along this successful path in Formula One.”

Although this is the final race for the team, they plan to give their all and as such have already carried out the usual simulations. However, one significant unknown is how the tyres will respond on the new asphalt and they will only discover the answer to this question during the course of the weekend. Ambient temperatures are sure to play a major role here as well and although the race is not scheduled to start until 5.00 pm, teams can still expect the outside air temperature to be well over 30 degrees Celsius.