Heidfeld made to wait for new contract

The German overtook world champion Fernando Alonso on his way to a well-earned fourth place at Sakhir - the third consecutive time he has finished in that position.

Despite his results, however, Heidfeld's bosses are still holding out on whether they will stick with him for 2008.

Heidfeld only has an option in his deal for next year and BMW Sauber are currently weighing up whether to commit to him for another campaign or go with young rookie Sebastian Vettel.

When asked by autosport.com whether Heidfeld's performances would lead to a quick answer about his future, BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen said: "Don't expect an immediate decision.

"I have said we will announce next year's driver line-up at the end of this season, which means we need to come to an agreement before that. We will deal with that issue as usual. We will talk it through internally and have discussions, negotiations, come to a conclusion and then announce it."

Heidfeld said before the weekend that he wanted an answer sooner rather than later so that he does not miss out on the chance of a competitive ride elsewhere if he is dropped.

But despite stalling on making a firm decision, Theissen has made it clear that he is not thinking of doing anything other than retaining Heidfeld.

"I think for both sides there is no reason at the moment to think about different set-ups," he explained. "On the other hand, there is no need either to rush."