BMW boosted by Australia performance

BMW motorsport boss Mario Theissen says his team were boosted by their promising start to the season at the Australian Grand Prix

The German squad confirmed their strong pre-season form in Melbourne, with Nick Heidfeld qualifying in third place and finishing in fourth. Teammate Robert Kubica retired from the race while running in fourth position.

With BMW looking to fight to be in the top four in the constructors' championship, Theissen admits being the third fastest team in Melbourne was a confidence-booster.

"We put in a solid start to the new season in Melbourne and made an early case for ourselves to be the third-strongest team on the grid," said Theissen in a team preview ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix.

"That was really good to see and gave the motivation of the whole team an extra boost.

"We're heading in the right direction and will stick to the same path. We've analysed the shift problem in Robert's car and implemented the relevant measures."

Technical director Willy Rampf was also pleased with the team's pace in Australia, but believes next week's Malaysian Grand Prix will be more representative of the current order.

"Melbourne was a good start for the team, and we can be happy with our competitiveness in the first race of the season," said Rampf.

"But the particular characteristics of the Albert Park circuit mean you can't read too much into how things went there, and we know that. I would say Sepang is a lot more representative."