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The 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship is entering the finishing straight, with Japan, China and Brazil the concluding destinations on this year's calendar.The BMW Sauber F1 Team goes into the final phase of the season with 90 World Championship points under its belt. In 2006 the team finished its debut season in fifth place in the constructors' standings on 36 points. The Japanese Grand Prix has been switched from Suzuka to Fuji in 2007, and the return of F1 to the Fuji Speedway after 30 years means today the sport is entering unfamiliar terrain. The circuit at the foot of Mount Fuji provided the venue for the first two Japanese Grands Prix in 1976 and 1977. Nick Heidfeld: "I've never been to Fuji and am always pleased to see a new circuit appear on the calendar. A new circuit presents the drivers and engineers with some interesting challenges, and - even in our ever-changing sport - provides an extra dose of variety, as all of us first have to find our bearings in the new surroundings. I like Japan as a whole, especially Tokyo. I like the mentality and am a real fan of Japanese cuisine, which has a lot more to offer than the obligatory sushi. Suzuka is my favourite race track, so I'm pleased that the two circuits will take turns in hosting the GP from 2009. I'm really looking forward to driving the Fuji circuit, and I hope I'll get to see Mount Fuji at least once. I heard that some people have been there any number of times, but the peak has been hidden in a cloud every time." Robert Kubica: "I like Japan and I like the Japanese mentality. Of course I am looking forward to it but I don't know the Fuji track as a driver, just a bit from games when I was younger. However, I think it has changed a bit. We have to see how the track is but I think it is going to be good going there because the Japanese fans are very enthusiastic. They really like to stay and watch the racing cars so I think we will have a lot of people there. I think our car this year is behaving similar in all kinds of tracks so it is not like last year when we were better in low downforce tracks; this year it is more consistent so I think we can achieve what we are achieving everywhere." Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director: "Fuji will be a new challenge. I had a look at the circuit before last year's race at Suzuka. There is one very long straight and several unorthodox corners. The circuit is very remote - there are very few roads and not much in the way of accommodation, and the infrastructure is limited. Fuji represents a major undertaking for our logistics people. The Japanese market is very important for BMW. Japan is Asia's leading and most highly developed market. Success here puts you in a very strong position in Asia overall. BMW was the first German manufacturer to set up its own subsidiary in Japan." Willy Rampf, Technical Director: "As we have never raced at Fuji our preparations for the GP have relied 100 percent on computer simulation. This is based on software programs developed fully by our own specialists. The primary focus during this process was to determine the level of downforce, mechanical set-up, brake specification and gear ratios required for the race. Experience has shown that we have reached a high level with our simulation technology. We can therefore expect to have a good baseline set-up already in place on Friday morning, which will allow us to use free practice to concentrate on fine-tuning measures and tyre choice for qualifying and the race on Sunday." For facts and figures please see the attached document. Following the exclusion of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team from the Constructors' World Championship, the BMW Sauber F1 Team has been promoted to second place in the standings on 90 points after 14 of 17 World Championship races. History and background: The Fuji Speedway takes it name from Fujiyama, Fuji-san or Mount Fuji, as it is more commonly known in the English-speaking world. Both "yama" and "san" can mean "mountain" in Japanese, depending on whether you follow Kunyomi or Onyomi pronunciation. Rising up 3,776 metres above sea level, this composite volcano is Japan's highest mountain. Its rock is estimated to date back 100,000 years. Still classed as an active volcano, Mount Fuji has a literally smouldering beauty. The likelihood of an eruption, however, is reckoned to be slight. Indeed, the last recorded eruption occurred in 1707. Fuji is located in the Japanese Alps on Japan's main island of Honshu, its summit gracing the boundary between the prefectures of Yamanashi and Shizuoka. In geological terms, the mountain is located at the point where the Eurasian, Pacific and Philippine plates meet. Its smoothly rising form makes it relatively straightforward to climb. The first man to do so was a Japanese monk in the year 663 AD. Nowadays, as many as 3,000 tourists per day dash their way up to the summit each summer once a trio of mountain paths have been cleared for access. The Fuji circuit was opened in 1966 and given a full overhaul in 2005 to meet the standards for Formula One set out by the FIA. Toyota has been the main investor in the Fuji Speedway Corporation since 2000. The extremely limited access routes to the track have sparked much debate in the lead-up to the grand prix, and are likely to cause traffic congestion in the surrounding area on the race weekend. The two previous F1 races held at Fuji were won by Mario Andretti and James Hunt in 1976 and 1977 respectively, when the track was 200 metres shorter. The 1976 Japanese Grand Prix secured itself a memorable chapter in Formula One history. The Fuji GP was the final race of the season and got underway in torrential rain. Frequent aquaplaning prompted Ferrari's reigning world champion Niki Lauda to pull into the pits and withdraw from the race after only two laps. Hunt went on to take the World Championship by a single point. Schedule for group interviews at the weekend: Thursday: 13.30-13.50 - Nick Heidfeld - print media 13.50-14.00 - Nick Heidfeld - TV 13.30-13.40 - Robert Kubica - TV 13.40-14.00 - Robert Kubica - print media 15.30-15.35 - Mario Theissen - TV 15.35-16.00 - Mario Theissen - print media Friday: 16.45-16.55 - Nick Heidfeld - TV 16.45-16.55 - Robert Kubica - TV Saturday: 16.45-16.55 - Nick Heidfeld - TV 16.55-17.15 - Nick Heidfeld - print media 16.45-17.05 - Robert Kubica - print media 17.05-17.15 - Robert Kubica - TV 17.30-17.35 - Mario Theissen - TV 17.35-18.00 - Mario Theissen - print media Sunday: Approx. 30 minutes after the end of the race, the drivers along with Mario Theissen and Willy Rampf will be on hand in the BMW Sauber F1 Team Hospitality. Involvement in the FIA Press Conference means the group interviews will be cancelled on the respective day.

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