Positions have to develop - Heidfeld

At 29, and with 117 Grands Prix under his belt, Nick Heidfeld is the most experienced BMW Sauber F1 Team driver. However, the German isn't of the opinion that this automatically makes him the team leader.

"Positions have to develop," Heidfeld says. "I believe it hardly ever works to assign specific roles beforehand. Obviously, I am the driver with the most experience and I hope that the team and the youngsters will benefit from that fact. Nevertheless, Robert and Sebastian have also covered considerable mileage. Robert has contested almost half a season, and the way he learns and contributes has already been a major help for the team - and consequently for me too."

Despite their on-track rivalry, Nick and Robert get on well away from the track. For Nick, a good relationship with his team mate goes without saying. "I had a good relationship with him from the very beginning," the German reveals. "Needless to say we battle it out with one another on track. However, that doesn't mean that we do not get on well when we're out of our cockpits. I never had problems with any of my team mates, be it Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa or Jacques Villeneuve."