Heidfeld: fourth place a success for BMW

The German squad have been tipped by many as one of the favourites to fight at the top this year after impressing during winter testing, especially with their consistency over long runs.

BMW finished in fifth place in last year's championship, but the German manufacturer admit the jump to the top four will not be an easy one.

"Even if we managed to dramatically improve our point tally and remained fifth - that wouldn't be too bad either," Heidfeld said on his team's website.

"Personally, I hope to improve my best position in the Formula One to date - that was an eighth place in the drivers' classification.

"I would be happy if I could achieve that," added the German driver.

Despite their impressive pace, the team have been worried about their reliability, especially after suffering several problems with their gearbox.

Heidfeld's teammate Robert Kubica is hopeful all the issues will be solved for the first race in Australia next week.

"We are getting better in terms of reliability," said Kubica. "Hot conditions should not be a big problem for the performance of the car. It responds well. We just will have to watch the set-up and make sure to limit the stress for the tyres."