We can't fall short, insists Whitmarsh

McLaren

 CEO Martin Whitmarsh has warned that 

BMW

 Sauber's emergence as a genuine threat in this season's 

Formula One

 campaign will mean that the Woking team has to remain more on its toes than ever.

Heikki Kovalainen trailed both Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix, coming home fifth as the only scoring McLaren driver, and Whitmarsh acknowledged that the 2008 campaign looks set to be more than a two-way battle for success.

"You have to congratulate BMW Sauber," he said, "I know we underperformed a little bit [in Bahrain], but their cars were very strong. It's clear that this is going to be a tight, exciting championship - and that's good for the Formula One audience. You have to go to each race with a strong car, you have to set it up and operate it properly and the drivers have to race it well. If you fall short in any of those areas, you're going to slip back into the pack."

With a two-weekend break before the 

F1

 field reconvenes for the first of the European races, in Barcelona, later this month, McLaren will be honing its MP4-23 package in an effort to close the gap on 

Ferrari

 and BMW, although Whitmarsh is well aware that the rest of the field will be embarking on similar programmes in an effort to raise their game.

"We've got an aero test coming up in a few days, and then we're back on track next week in Barcelona, which will be our first proper test for five weeks," he confirmed, "It's unusual for teams to make great progress during a period of no testing, but I'm confident we are about to make a big step forward. That said, we recognise and respect the strong job Ferrari and BMW are doing and don't suppose they'll be standing still."

Whitmarsh also suggested that the six leading drivers in this year's field will push each other to greater heights, with the resulting benefit for the sport's fans. Although only three of the top sextet have tasted champagne from the top step so far in their careers, he is not ruling out additions to the select club.

"I know there will be other winners during the campaign," he stressed, "I'm convinced Heikki will reach the top step of the podium this year, and the 

BMW

 drivers look strong too - we just need to respond and make sure we beat them in Spain.

"We have slightly underperformed for two races, but both championships are still very close. Three teams and six drivers are all within a handful of points of each other, and I don't think anybody is going to run away with either of the titles this year."

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