BMW Commercial Break: Shanghai
This weekend Formula 1 heads to Shanghai, China, and we on 5series journey back to a time when BMW teamed up with Sauber to race at the Shanghai International Circuit.
BMW’s PR department was actually ahead of the curve when it came to making multimedia content available to fans of the team. Before each race, the former team webpage offered different types of video to shrink the world of F1 to the size of your computer monitor.
Featured below is a video from the 2009 season when BMW had Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica piloting their car. The team featured a video where Robert Kubica talked about the track and Nick Heidfeld described the megacity, Shanghai.
With hindsight, I find it interesting BMW chose those two talking points for the men.
Robert Kubica was hailed for his skill as a driver. The sport really loved him and anytime a seat was to open up at a top team, speculation for Robert to fill it soon followed. Numerous times in his career the Polish driver was linked to drive for Ferrari and his career trajectory seemed destined to cross paths with the prancing horse.
Heidfeld, on the other hand, wasn’t so much known for his racing. Don’t get me wrong, Heidfeld scored more drivers’ championship points than Kubica in 2007 and 2009, and often out qualified his teammate, but if you want stereotypical Euro racer, well, then you looked at Heidfeld. He was known as a sunglasses aficionado-rumored to have over 100 pairs. Hell, he even knew when they were invented. Heidfeld was the world traveling, sunglasses wearing, German who also happened to race. Seems fitting for the German to tell it like it was about Shanghai.
Kubica nearly died in an amateur rally race in 2011. Teams put messages on their cars that season in support of Robert-most notably Ferrari. His possible comeback is still a story to this day.
Heidfeld made a comeback to Renault in 2011. His contract was terminated midway through the season. He scored more points that his teammate that year, but the team questioned his leadership and dedication.
BONUS VIDEO
Weird and cool overlay of Kubica racing around Shanghi with an overlay of a Ferrari he was probably rumored to replace at some point.