Heidfeld Satisfied with Top Ten Position

German Nick Heidfeld was pleased with his performance in Saturday's qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix after posting the eighth quickest time of the day with his Ferrari-powered C21.

Heidfeld had already shone in this morning's practice session, where he set a promising third quickest time behind the two Ferrari drivers. The young Sauber driver, looking for his second points finish of the season after a fifth place at the Malaysian Grand Prix, was happy with his progress.

"I'm reasonably happy with the way things went today," admitted the German driver after the hour-long session. "The car was great this morning, and we made some small changes this afternoon that improved it further as the track changed slightly.

"I had expected the two BMW Williams cars to go quicker after this morning, so I'm satisfied with my best time. It was even closer to the optimum."

Heidfeld outqualified teammate Felipe Massa, who finished the session in eleventh place after making a mistake in his fastest run. The 21-year old Brazilian claimed he still has a lot to learn before he is capable of extracting the best from his car.

"I should have gone quicker on my third run, but I made a little mistake in the fourth corner," he said. "Then I made a bigger one in the second sector on my final run, when I tried to brake too late. I was a little angry with myself, but the car was great and well balanced.

"I just need a little more experience in qualifying to get the absolute best from the machine in such circumstances."