Nick Heidfeld has moved to insist that he is not under any pressure to perform at BMW-Sauber, despite having now been out-qualified by team-mate
Robert Kubica five times out of five in 2008 – and trailing the Pole in the drivers' standings.
The experienced German qualified a frustrated ninth for the second race in succession around the Istanbul Park circuit last weekend, and though he converted it into a stronger fifth position in the race, it nevertheless marked the fourth time this year that he has finished behind Kubica when the chequered flag has dropped.
The principal cause of the 31-year-old's dip in form is believed to be an inability to get his
Bridgestone Potenza tyres warmed up sufficiently quickly, with his team-mate's more aggressive driving style proving more effective in getting the rubber up to temperature – and therefore up-to-speed.
Heidfeld, though, has stressed he is not facing any demands to up his game, despite acknowledging that the current situation of regularly playing second fiddle within the team is ‘annoying'.
“He is only four points ahead of me,” the man from Mönchengladbach told German news agency
SID. “The season is long. I will get him.
“I will work on my driving and warming up my tyres faster, but there has been no criticism by my employer.”
