BMW Team boss Mario Theissen has admitted that he has no regrets regarding dumping the Canadian driver, admitting that such decisions go with the territory. Indeed, the German admits that should the need arise, he would have no hesitation in replacing another driver.

"Niki Lauda hit the nail on the head when he said: "The team boss is not there to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize, he's there to win races," Theissen told the Credit Suisse e-magazine.

Referring to Polish sensation Robert Kubica, who replaced Villeneuve, Theissen said: "I don't think we should jump the gun. But he's certainly got the ability. I was struck by his exceptional focus on his role as test driver. And because of that I've got no worries about him at all."

Asked if the Pole's promotion had been a 'shot in the arm' for Nick Heidfeld, Theissen admitted: When Kubica got into the cockpit for the first time it gave the whole team a jolt - Nick Heidfeld included. Nick drove at a very high level, especially in the latter Grand Prix races.

"Things are not always harmonious," he continued. "Formula One is an incredibly tough competition between the 11 best teams and 22 best drivers in the world. Our two drivers aren't immune from that either. This competitiveness is healthy, because it leads to strong performances."

Asked if the in-team rivalry can sometimes go too far, the German said: "That can always happen. It's the job of the team to channel this. In the season just finished, we experienced one or two situations that we want to avoid in future. I have confidence in the effect of the learning curve."

Looking back on 2006, Theissen said: "Our target for the season was to finish sixth. But as the season got going we realized that we might be able to do even better than that. By finishing fifth it was our team that made the biggest leap forward - something I'm really pleased about.

As for the gap to the pace-setters, the top four: "It has varied a lot during the past season, depending on the circuit. At Monza, for example, we were already running eyeball-to-eyeball with the top teams. All in all, compared to the previous year we've roughly halved the gap in relation to the leaders.

Having achieved its first podium, in its maiden season, the next milestone has to be the maiden win. So when does the German think this might happen?

"On our timetable, we expect that to happen in 2008," he replies.

Asked if winning in 2007 would be disastrous for the German team, he quickly replied: "I think we'd be able to cope."