Heidfeld hits out at Albers, Sato

The BMW Sauber driver was looking set for a strong fourth place before Honda's Rubens Barrichello crashed into him on the final lap in a multi-car incident.

Heidfeld was forced to brake early to avoid hitting Sato and Barrichello was unable to avoid the accident, which cost Heidfeld a lot of time, dropping him down to seventh.

The German, however, was more angry at Albers.

"Rubens just braked too late, crashed into me and destroyed my race," Heidfeld told autosport.com. "That is the only thing that went wrong, but the worst thing for me in my race was Albers.

"He, as usual as a Midland driver, didn't let me past. He stayed on the dry line all the way down the back straight, backed off just 200-300 metres before the braking point to go in the wet line and then he accelerated again, so I could not go past.

"Then the three Hondas caught up and then, despite Sato being two laps behind, he starts fighting me.

"He was quicker in the first sector because it was slightly damp there and the Bridgestone hold their temperature better there, so he overtook me despite the fact that he should have left the two cars behind him past.

"But despite being shown the blue flags, he past me and not easily because we nearly crashed. Then for whatever reason, he held me up. It is ridiculous.

"So we come to the final braking point and then even then he didn't let me past. He was on the clean line, Albers was in front, and then we were all four cars together.

"Then without Barrichello crashing into me I think I could still have finished fourth, even though Button was alongside me.

"I had to brake early because of Sato, but Jenson overshot and I could have cut back in and I would have had a very good acceleration and I would have been fourth, or maybe fifth at worst."

Heidfeld confronted Sato's teammate Sakon Yamamoto after the race, thinking it was the rookie who had caused him to crash, only to discover it had been Sato.

The incident is under investigation by the race stewards.