Theissen bullish on BMW's chances

BMW Sauber were the third strongest outfit last season, but went on to finish in second place in the standings following the disqualification of McLaren from the constructors' championship.

During the launch of their new car, BMW said they will be hoping to fight for their maiden victory this year before mounting a championship challenge in 2009, and Theissen is convinced the team have the potential to do it.

He is under no illusions about the difficulty of the task, however.

"We are convinced that the BMW Sauber F1.08 represents another significant step forward," Theissen was quoted as saying on the BMW Sauber website on Tuesday.

"We are aware that realising this goal will be anything but easy. After all, the two teams ahead of us are not only the most competitive on the grid but also more experienced than anybody else.

"Consequently, we have to expect that they also have made progress with their new cars.

"We are very confident that we have got what it takes to turn the duel involving the two teams ahead of us into a three-way battle."