KEY POINTS:
VALENCIA - Most young drivers coming into Formula One are over-hyped, according to BMW-Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.
The German, sitting next to 19-year-old test driver and compatriot Sebastian Vettel at the launch of BMW's 2007 grand prix car, said only time would sort out the real talent from the
rest.
"I think most of the youngsters are over-hyped, but not only now. Also in the past," said Heidfeld.
"Anybody who comes new to Formula One is the new superstar, the new world champion.
"Then you just wait a few years, some make it and some don't. It's not a new thing," he added.
Heidfeld, 29, is now the old hand at BMW Sauber following the departure last season of Canada's 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.
His Polish team mate Robert Kubica, 22, is starting his first full season after replacing Villeneuve last August and making an immediate impression with third place in only his third race at Monza.
His aggressive driving style has already drawn comparisons with that of Spaniard Fernando Alonso, Formula One's youngest race winner and youngest double champion at the age of 25.
Vettel, from a country eager to find the next Michael Schumacher, drew instant acclaim by topping the Friday practice timesheets on his first appearance as a test driver in Turkey last year.
Formula One is also expecting great things of 22-year-old Briton Lewis Hamilton, Alonso's team mate at McLaren, while 21-year-old German Nico Rosberg made a strong debut with Williams last year.
Heidfeld, a former McLaren test driver, made his race debut with Prost at the age of 22 and stood out with a third place in Brazil for Sauber in 2001.
He has not suffered from excessive hype however, experiencing instead the disappointment of being overshadowed by team mates despite often performing better than them over the course of a season.
Finland's Kimi Raikkonen, the current Ferrari driver, became an instant sensation in his first season at Sauber although Heidfeld scored more points.
While Raikkonen was snapped up by McLaren for 2002, Heidfeld's career was less stellar and he was in danger of leaving Formula One until Jordan came to his rescue in 2004 and Williams threw him another lifeline in 2005.
Now in his second season at BMW, Heidfeld said he expected to be around for some time yet.
"I said not a long time ago that I hope I can be in Formula One for 10 more years," he said.
- REUTERS