We are getting there, technical director asserts, and the pain will ultimately prove more than worthwhile.
BMW's new car is 'considerably quicker' than its predecessor, Willy Rampf has stressed, as he argued the team was right to push back the boundaries by pursuing a radical approach in the design and development of its F1.08.
The Munich and Hinwil-based outfit's new baby endured a troubled birth, with indifferent testing form early on and both drivers complaining of balance issues, but technical director Rampf insisted the only way the squad was going to stand a chance of making gains on Formula 1 pace-setters Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes in 2008 was to take some 'calculated' risks.
"In order to make a step forward our engineers pushed it to the limit in many different areas like aerodynamics, suspension, cooling, brakes, steering feedback and others," the 54-year-old German told the official Formula 1 website. "This approach is the only option if you want to close the gap to the front-runners. You don't get to the top just by being conservative.
"The benchmark in Formula 1 is on a level that forces you to take calculated risks, and that's exactly what we did. For us as a team it's a new experience to work on such a level, and we are going through a learning process which will make us even more competitive."
BMW finished the 2007 season ranked second in the constructors' championship following McLaren's disqualification over the spying scandal that rocked the sport, and its aim for the forthcoming campaign is quite clear. Whilst it doesn't necessarily expect to finish so high up again, it at least expects drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica to get closer to the silver and scarlet machines on the circuit this year, and reach the top step of the rostrum along the way.
Rampf was adamant that with further testing planned during an exclusive session at Valencia this week - albeit heavily disrupted on Tuesday due to rain - more performance could be extracted from the new challenger, and he insisted both that the design philosophy of 'radical evolution' had been the right one to take, and that the target of winning a race in 2008 remained well on-track.
"There is no doubt that the F1.08 is considerably quicker that the F1.07," Rampf underlined, "but it is more difficult to exploit its full potential at any given time and condition. We still need a better understanding of the car, and we are learning every day. I have no doubt that we are getting there."
