Heidfeld confident of more pace

Heidfeld, fifth in the standings after three consecutive four places in the opening races, posted the eight quickest time of the day, over a second behind pace-setter Fernando Alonso.

"For me it was important to drive in both sessions today," said Heidfeld. "We have been testing here, but I wasn't able to compare the two tyre specs because the second of my two test days was very wet.

"Our preparation work looks good and also the new front wing seems to work alright.

"I think our position today doesn't reflect how competitive we are. The new section of the track changes every lap because the tarmac is so new. That makes it a little bit more difficult for driving on now, but I'm happy with the circuit's modification as it makes it safer."

Teammate Robert Kubica was 11th fastest.

BMW tried a new-look front wing on Friday, and the team said they would look at the data before deciding if they will use it during the rest of the weekend.