Focus on Friday practice for Heidfeld

Last year, Nick Heidfeld thrilled fans of the BMW Sauber F1 Team at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The German pulled off a spectacular overtaking manoeuvre to move ahead of Fernando Alonso. This year he is looking to impress again in Bahrain.

"I really like the track layout and the whole complex in Bahrain", says Nick Heidfeld. "Everything there is very modern and spacious. For me, one of the best sections of the entire season is the stretch between turn 5 and the penultimate turn at the Bahrain International Circuit. The climate tends to be pleasant there, although being in the middle of the desert means that sand keeps blowing onto the track and into our equipment."

Despite the difficult conditions, Nick drove an excellent race last year, coming fourth in the emirate on the Arabian Peninsula. The foundation for the BMW Sauber F1 Team's success was laid during the intense preparations in the weeks leading up to the race. In 2008, the team from Munich and Hinwil chose not to carry out test drives in Bahrain. For this reason, Nick feels the Friday practice will be particularly important.

"Last year we came very well prepared after our double test there, and I had a great race", recalls Nick. "This year some of the teams tested their new cars there before the start of the season. On Friday, our first priority is to close this gap through our set-up work."