MATCHETT: The Rise & Rise of BMW (Part 1)

Formula 1

MATCHETT: The Rise & Rise of BMW (Part 1)

SPEED'S F1 analyst relates the story of how BMW returned to grand prix racing on its own terms and, is now poised to reap the benefits.

Steve Matchett | Posted September 30, 2007 Charlotte, N.C.

In 1988 I was working as a mechanic at Graypaul, central England's Ferrari dealership, based in Loughborough. Graypaul has since moved to Nottingham, bought and relocated by Frank Sytner's automotive empire but, back then, the relatively small concern was arguably the country's leading Ferrari specialist.

From my first morning there I knew I had found my calling. For me, working on these moody, always temperamental ultra-exotic road cars was a delight. My self-confidence and engineering skills flourished in their company. We understood one another: the cars were often spiteful bitches to me but (like clich�d highly-strung, high-maintenance divas) they also knew I could make them more beautiful, stronger and faster than they were before. I relished the challenge of nursing these magnificent thoroughbreds back to full health.

Nonetheless, despite all of that, some inner voice always suggests when it's time to move onward and I quit Graypaul at the end of the year in favor of a position with Cooper-BMW. BMW's engineering never held the allure of Ferrari's outrageous designs but, that said, the German manufacturing was supremely logical, amazingly reliable, and the level of sophistication of the onboard electronics was leagues ahead of anything Maranello had produced to that point. It was the latter that sealed the deal for me: my move to BMW was part of a long-term plan.

Working with Ferrari's road cars had whetted my appetite. But I wanted more, much more. I wanted to work on faster, ever more exotic machinery; to work on machinery that was free of budget constraints; to work with a team of like-minded souls in an environment where the only requirement was to be better than the best in the world. In short, I wanted to work in Formula 1. To achieve that, I knew I had to learn from the best. For the mechanical aspects of a car, the chassis/engine/gearbox, that meant serving time with Ferrari; for electronics, for fastidious attention to detail, I could do no better than work with BMW.

I'm telling you all of this by way of introducing a conversation I had back in 1989 with a senior lecturer during my induction course at BMW's headquarters in Bracknell, Berkshire. In sharp contrast to Ferrari's minimalist approach to training courses back then, BMW placed great emphasis on product knowledge, the facilities and the courses were impeccable: methodical, organized, productive. Very BMW. During a coffee break between lessons, I asked if the company had any intention of a return to F1 (BMW having quit the sport as an engine supplier at the end of 1987). My tutor told me no, there were no plans� but a return could never be discounted.

Any return to grand prix racing all depended on Mercedes, he said: His assessment was that as long as BMW's rivals continued to stay away from F1, then so would BMW. The commercial potential offered by F1 is huge but both companies were well aware of the ever-escalating costs and immense commitment required to participate at a competitive level and, frankly, both would prefer not to take the plunge. A marketing stand off. It seemed inevitable, however, that if one jumped, then the other was sure to follow.

He finished by saying that if BMW ever did return to F1, they wouldn't be happy acting solely as an engine supplier, they'd want to do the whole thing � design, build, race their own car. Do the thing proper, were his exact words. Well, as history shows, my lecturer's words proved amazingly prophetic: Mercedes jumped first, collaborating with Sauber in 1994, later dropping them like a stone in favor of McLaren.

Through Sauber, BMW has taken control of its F1 destiny. (LAT photo)

Then, sure enough, after concluding that Mercedes were fully committed to a long-term future in F1, BMW also took the plunge, agreeing terms in 1998 to supply Williams with engines for six years commencing in 2000. But BMW wanted more too, they wanted to take control, to buy Williams, to become an F1 constructor.

When negotiations with Frank Williams turned sour, however, BMW principal, Mario Theissen, lost no time in asking Peter Sauber if he would care to join him for a spot of dinner. Terms were swiftly agreed for the acquisition of Sauber's operation and by the end of 2005 BMW owned the keys to the Hinwal factory. BMW Sauber was born and there was much thrilled jubilation and rejoicing in the beer halls of Munich. When word of this buyout reached the beer halls of Stuttgart, however, I suspect both reaction to the news and any subsequent rejoicing in Mercedes' hometown was rather more subdued.

BMW now had their own team but the design of the 2006 F1 car � the imaginatively named F1.06 � had been finalized in the summer of 2005, well before BMW's check had cleared in Sauber's Swiss account. Although the rear bulkhead of the chassis was modified to accept BMW's all-new P86 2.4 V8 (the team had been using Ferrari engines since 1997), in reality the car was a re-badged Sauber, powered by BMW. Not that there was anything wrong with that: By the end of 2006 the team had won two third-place trophies, scored 36 points and secured fifth place in the world championship. Not bad. Not bad at all...

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SPEED's Formula 1 technical analyst Steve Matchett presently resides in the south of France. In addition to his duties on SPEED'S F1 broadcasts alongside Bob Varsha and David Hobbs, Steve will be providing insight into the high-tech world of Formula One through regular video features and commentary on SPEEDtv.com.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SpeedTV.com, FOX, NewsCorp, Speed Channel, or Haymarket Worldwide.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steve Matchett

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