BMW: No preferential treatment for Kubica

NICK HEIDFELD

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Friday 13th June 2008

BMW team boss Mario Theissen has ruled out any suggestion of handing Championship leader Robert Kubica the number one status within the team.

Kubica clinched both his and BMW's maiden grand prix victory in Montreal last weekend, elevating the Polish driver to the top of the Drivers' standings.

After seven races he holds a four-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa with reigning Champ Kimi Raikkonen a further three points adrift.

As for Kubica's BMW team-mate Nick Heidfeld, he is fifth in the title race, 14 points off the pace.

Kubica's position at the top of the standings led to the Pole publicly asking his team to put their efforts "100 percent" behind him from now on.

"We are leading the Drivers' Championship, so I hope the team will give me 100 percent support to try to maybe defend it until the last race," he said post-Canada.

However, team boss Theissen has ruled this out, saying that both Kubica and his team-mate Nick Heidfeld will be give equal treatment within the team.

"For the coming races I think we won't switch our strategy," he told Autosport.

"Both drivers get equal treatment in terms of car, in terms of the team. Then we look at what they can do in qualifying and then on that basis we decide on the race strategy."

The German added that for now at least he feels it would be premature to adopt team orders when there is still a long way to go in the Championship.

"Let's talk about it if and when the situation arises. It would be speculation," he said.

"But even then you have to deal with it on a race-by-race basis. If one driver fails in qualifying then there is no point in keeping the other one behind."