BMW aiming for first win this year

The Swiss-based team have traditionally been reluctant to set ambitious targets, but BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen is clear about their ambitions for the new season.

"For 2008 we have set ourselves the target of closing the gap to the leading teams," he said on the team's official website. "In addition we intend scoring our first Grand Prix victory."

Driver Nick Heidfeld is hoping that McLaren and Ferrari's season-long fight to win the world championship last year could help his BMW Sauber team close the gap this time out.

While Ferrari and McLaren had to battle until the final round of the season for title glory, Heidfeld's BMW Sauber team were able to divert their full attention to their 2008 car several races before the end of the campaign.

Writing on his website over the Christmas period, Heidfeld said that he was hopeful the factor would help his team - although was well aware that nothing can be taken for granted in F1.

"It should be an advantage for us that Ferrari and McLaren had to give everything in order to win the title whereas we and Renault were already able to concentrate on the next year," said Heidfeld.

"So theoretically things look pretty good. I also have a good feeling but you cannot always rely on your feeling as I noticed in the past years.

"In the season 2001, BMW Sauber came fourth in the constructors championship and after that I also thought that now things will get better, which they didn't. I don't think that will be the case this year but as I said: feeling does not count in the Formula One."

Heidfeld said he also expected the ban on traction control and launch control this year to have a big impact on races.

"I am anxious to see how the starts will look like," he said. "At the moment we are working on that. In the past years we had the launch control or at least some help. That is why the starts were always pretty predictable.

"In the beginning Renault always had fantastic starts and after that we had very good starts. Before the return of the launch control it was easy to gain or loose positions during the start. Therefore the next season will be more interesting again.

"The ban on traction control is also going to make things more thrilling. There's going to be more drifts, you will make mistakes more easily which should lead to more overtaking manoeuvres - especially when you are under pressure."