BMW rule out fighting Ferrari, McLaren

Although the team had high hopes at the start of the campaign that an aggressive development programme would lift them closer to the top two teams, they now think that such ambitions will have to be put on hold until next year.

BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen thinks his Hinwil-based team have successfully managed to maintain their pace relative to Ferrari and McLaren, which makes him think it unlikely they will be able close them down in the remaining races.

"Currently, I don't see that," he told autosport.com. "They are at least as far ahead now as they used to be at the start of the season. The gap is almost unchanged.

"On fast tracks we are probably closer, and on slow tracks the gap is bigger. It's important for me to keep the gap constant throughout the season because they are the two strongest teams, and if we develop as fast as they do that's the best result we can achieve. Then we can make the next step over the winter."

Robert Kubica, who finished fourth in the British Grand Prix, has echoed his team boss's view - and thinks they should in fact be more worried about Renault closing the gap on them.

"For me the performance compared to Ferrari and McLaren from now to the beginning of the season is the same," he said. "It is more or less stable.

"It does depend on where we go, because in Magny-Cours we were a bit closer and here at Silverstone the gap was a big bigger. But we have to watch out, because now it looks like Renault are quite close.

"We are looking in front to develop, but we have to watch out also our back because Renault are in the end our closest rival for the championship."