BMW duo eye up fourth consecutive podium.

by Chris Hayes

BMW Sauber aces Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica - the driving architects behind BMW's formidable rise to power in this year's F1 World Championship - are confident they can carry their title contending form into the European season which kicks off in Barcelona next week.

It has been a dream start for the Hinwil and Munich based outfit with three consecutive podiums in as many races and a stunning pole position courtesy of Robert Kubica in the last race at Bahrain.

After some auspicious podium charges from both drivers the team find themselves, somewhat unexpectedly, heading into the European season as championship leaders, one point ahead of rivals Ferrari and two points clear of McLaren.

F1's spring break has turned into something of an 'arms race' with all of the teams running new aerodynamic packages at the mechanically demanding Circuit de Catalunya in testing ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix next week.

Nick Heidfeld, who is gnawing at the heels of championship leader Kimi Raikkonen in the title race, is confident that the developments made to his F1.08 spec car will enable the team to maintain their impressive early season pace.

"Now the question everybody wants to hear the answer to is: how well are the new components, with which we've modified the BMW Sauber F1.08 since the initial overseas races, going to work?

"I'm also very keen to see whether we have made more progress with our new developments than the competition.

"At any rate, I'm confident that we will be just as strong as in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain."

But the German warned that strong testing form at the Circuit de Catalunya does necessarily guarantee success on race day.

"It has often been the case that a set-up determined during testing was no longer the right one for the race weekend. That could be due to the weather or to the condition of the track, which naturally accumulates much more rubber deposits over a grand prix weekend than during testing."

Robert Kubica - who flies out to Barcelona on the back of his first career pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix a fortnight ago, which he translated into a superb third place - is expecting a much tighter field spread at the Spanish Grand Prix.

"I think we will have a more predictable race than the first three overseas grand's prix," revealed the Pole.

"The conditions this time round are completely different. All the teams know the Barcelona circuit like the back of their hands because we do a lot of testing here.

"That's why I expect the gaps between the teams to become a lot smaller than in the last races."

But the 23-year-old was confident that BMW would be able to mount a challenge on the front-runners once again.

"Everyone will be coming to the season's first European grand prix on top form. I guess all the teams will be lining up with an improved car.

"But at the same time that means we also have to get the maximum out of the BMW Sauber F1.08. If we manage that, and since the latest test in Barcelona I am firmly convinced we will, I'll be racing right up at the front again."