Heidfeld impressed by BMW's speed

The German had run consistently in the leading pack for much of the race and, although teammate Jacques Villeneuve took a points-scoring seventh place, Heidfeld's hopes were dashed by a blow-up seven laps from home.

"I hoped we would be faster than we were in qualifying but I didn't expect us to be so good," said Heidfeld. "I could keep pace with the McLaren and was quicker than either of the Ferraris. I made a superb start and gained places straight away.

"After that I had a trouble-free race apart from delays with blue flags which made lapping backmarkers difficult. After my second pit stop it was pretty close between Felipe and I in Turn 1, but I was able to stay ahead of him.

"The engine failure came without warning. Fifth place would have been brilliant for us. It's a real shame."

Villeneuve believed he could have done better than his seventh place if he had not lost time early in the race stuck behind Jarno Trulli's Toyota.

"I got held up early on behind Trulli, which was a pity because it cost me time," said the former world champion. "But once I had overtaken him it was just a question of running to the end.

"Physically it was an easier race than I had expected and I knew I should be in good shape mechanically because it was the first race for my engine.

"It was bad luck for Nick, but we've scored the points we should have taken in Bahrain so I am happy. The race pace was strong, so we need now to work on our qualifying."