Marko Asmer.

In many ways, the CVs of test driver Marko Asmer and Robert Kubica, one of the BMW Sauber F1 Team’s regular drivers, are very similar. Both drivers come from Eastern Europe, both had to rely on their racing talent to make their breakthrough – and both drivers have made it to the pinnacle of motor sport.

Marko was the Estonian, Baltic, Finnish and Scandinavian kart champion, dominated the karting World Championship, and was honoured in 2001 as the most talented karting driver in the world. Formula Ford proved to be the valuable opportunity to break into the world of motor sport. In 2003, Marko came second at the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. In the same year, he stepped into a Formula One car for the first time, performing a series of tests for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team. Between 2004 and 2007 he drove in Formula 3. In 2007 he competed in both the All Japan F3 series and the British Championship, which he won convincingly with eleven victories and two further podium finishes.

It was, therefore, no surprise that the young Estonian caught BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen’s attention. Theissen was already impressed with Marko after the first tests in December 2007. “He worked in a concentrated, focused and calm fashion,” reflected Theissen. “The feedback from the engineers bears positive testimony to him, and the chemistry between him and the team is right as well.”

Marko immediately felt at home in the team, and is now set on making a good impression throughout the course of the season. “The BMW Sauber F1 Team is on the march in Formula One,” he says. “I really like the team. Right from the world go they made it very easy for me to find my feet.”

Marko came into contact with Formula One very early in his career. As a young kart driver he met Kimi Räikkönen in Finland, and as a driver for Tony Kart he was a team-mate of Michael Schumacher on several occasions. This is just one reason why the seven-time world champion is Marko’s greatest idol. “Michael was already a champion when I started out in racing. He was also out on the track during one of my first tests with the BMW Sauber F1 Team. It was a peculiar feeling to see him in my rear-view mirror.”

Like Robert, the first Polish Formula One driver, Marko adds another new nationality to the elite class: No other Estonian had ever driven a Formula One car. The youngster is looking forward to gaining valuable experience in 2008.