BMW drivers downcast after qualifying

Heidfeld and Kubica, who have amassed just eight points between them this season, compared to 70 at this stage last year, put their cars 15th and 12th on the grid at Silverstone, to their disappointment.

"To be honest, I didn't have such high expectations coming here," said German driver Heidfeld. "We brought a new front wing for this race, but it seems that other teams have made even bigger updates. It will be very difficult to score points from here."

Team-mate Kubica faired little better, the Polish driver qualifying only three places further up the grid.

He believes that electrical problems and an engine change in Friday practice, which severely hampered his running, were to blame for his poor starting spot.

"This has been a very difficult weekend for us so far," said Kubica. "I had maybe 10 laps in free practice sessions without technical problems, which was simply not enough to do the necessary work. So it's no surprise that the set-up of the car was not very good in qualifying."