Theissen praises Heidfeld's performance

Heidfeld made the most of a one-stop strategy to come through the field and grab a surprise second spot.

And Theissen reckons that most of the praise for the result should be aimed squarely at Heidfeld.

"It was an unlucky loss of a podium finish in Melbourne, and the lucky win of a podium finish here," Theissen said about his team's start to the year. "I think for Nick it worked out perfectly.

"We expected wet weather conditions so we sent him out on a high fuel load and he was just able to stay out until the rain came. It meant he could do it on one pit stop, which was a very good strategy.

"Then in the wet, I have to say Nick did a fantastic job. He had been on his wet tyres for very long already when it really poured down, and the car was undriveable.

"We were ready all the time to service him, but he decided lap after lap to stay out, and he finally managed it until the red flag. That was the key then to P2 - and it tells a lot not just about Nick's experience but also his driving capabilities in the wet. That was really very good."

Theissen has also expressed regret about Heidfeld's teammate Robert Kubica failing to score a point once again.

"Robert definitely had an unlucky start and could have won Melbourne," said Theissen. "He would definitely have been P2, and here he was caught out by a technical problem.

"So for him it has been a very disappointing start to the season, and I hope we can see better results for him in the coming races. For Nick it was okay. Coming home with second place is definitely more than he could expect after the two qualifyings."