By its own rising standards,
BMW Sauber endured a poor weekend in Spain, with only
Robert Kubica scoring points, and in fourth place - the team's first return without a podium. The Pole was again impressive, qualifying ahead of both McLarens, but crucially losing out to
Lewis Hamilton on the run to turn one. From there, he was forced to stare at his former F3 rival's rear wing for the rest of the afternoon. Team-mate
Nick Heidfeld was robbed of a potential points finish by the timing of the race's main safety car period, which left him gasping for fuel and then attempting to make up for the resulting penalty. Now just a point ahead of McLaren in the constructors' table, the team will hope to get both its drivers into the top eight this weekend.
McLaren, meanwhile, will hope to get both its drivers to the chequered flag after the scare it suffered with
Heikki Kovalainen in Barcelona. The Finn appeared on course for another strong result - having moved to the front of the field with a heavier fuel load than his rivals - when he suffered a suspected wheel rim failure that sent the MP4-23 spearing into the tyre barrier. Kovalainen was taken to hospital and detained overnight with bruising and concussion, but hopes to be back in action in Turkey. Hamilton, meanwhile, got himself up into third when
Fernando Alonso retired, and held on to return to the podium for the first time since winning the season-opening Australian GP in March. The Briton, however, will draw on one of his most memorable GP2 performances - coming from last to second in Istanbul in 2006 - as he attempts to overhaul the deficit between McLaren and
Ferrari.
Renault emerged at the head of the ever-changing midfield battle in Spain - and how. Alonso and team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr arrived in Barcelona confident that gains made with the R28 in pre-race testing might out-strip those of their rivals, but no-one expected the local hero to put his car on the front row. With Piquet also making the top ten shootout, things looked good for a return to the points, but it wasn't to be, with both drivers out early. Confidence remains high, however, with engineering director Pat Symonds seeing no reason why the performance can't be repeated in Turkey, especially with more development parts due and Piquet knowing what it takes to win there.
