Background
The 2009 season is the last season we see of the BMW works team, with Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld entering their third full season together. With a successful 2008 season behind them, the expectations were high, and Kubica was running in second in the season opener in Australia, before a tangle with Vettel near the end of the race brought both cars race to an end. A Malaysian downpour meant the race did not run full distance, and Heidfeld earned a second place. But the car was a handful and often struggled to make it to Q2 and development was slow. Things improved with a double points finish in Belgium, and Kubica scored a second place in Brazil. In BMW's final season in F1, they finished 6th in the Constructors' Championship.Minichamps
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| Minichamps BMW Dealer Edition |
Score: 7/10
Where are they now?
BMW left Formula 1 at the end of 2009 and have only returned to single-seater racing in Formula E in 2018/19 season.
The team itself was bought back by Peter Sauber competing in 2010 under the odd name of BMW Sauber Ferrari. Though it is still technically a Sauber today, Alfa Romeo dropped the Sauber name in its entry name for 2019. This is just a commercial deal however, and it may be that the Sauber name may return in the future.
Robert Kubica raced for Renault in 2010 before a near fatal accident in a 2011 rally meant he has not raced in F1 since. However, he returned to test a Renault and Williams F1 car in 2017, earning a reserve driver role in 2018 with Williams, before being promoted to race driver for 2019. A remarkable return story, but it remains to be seen if he can impress in a uncompetitive Williams and next to GP2 Champion, George Russell.
Nick Heidfeld made a few part-time seasons for Sauber and Renault before bowing out of the sport, competing in endurance racing and Formula E.
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