Heidfeld says BMW not favorites

(GMM) Nick Heidfeld has played down claims that he and BMW Sauber teammate Robert Kubica are outside bets to win the 2007 drivers' crown.

Their F1.07 contender has been quick but unreliable in the pre-season tests, but observers including Felipe Massa and Gerhard Berger insist that the Hinwil built car could be a match this year for pacesetters Ferrari and McLaren.

"What people say changes nothing for us," 29-year-old Heidfeld told motorsport-total.com.

He said: "We must concentrate on our work and not be distracted. Just because a few people think we look good in testing does not make us the favorite."

Less than three weeks before the start of the season in Australia, the German insisted that Ferrari and McLaren appear ahead of the rest.

"And at the moment I see Ferrari right at the front," Heidfeld added.