MERCEDES GP PETRONAS is pleased to confirm that Nick Heidfeld will join the team as Reserve Race Driver and Test Driver for the 2010 Formula One season. Nick will therefore complete the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver line-up with race drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg.
Like Michael Schumacher before him, Nick is another former Mercedes Junior who returns to his motorsport roots. After winning the 1997 German Formula 3 Championship, as a junior driver supported by Mercedes, Nick tested a McLaren Mercedes Formula One car for the first time.
Nick was the McLaren Mercedes test driver for the 1998 and 1999 seasons, during which time he had two successful years in Formula 3000, as runner-up in 1998 and winning the Formula 3000 Championship, held alongside the Formula One races, in 1999.
Nick began his Formula One career with the Prost team in 2000 and since then has participated in 167 Grands Prix driving for Sauber (2001-2003), Jordan (2004), Williams (2005) and BMW Sauber (2006-2009). He had his best Formula One season in 2007 when he finished in fifth position in the World Championship. To date in his Formula One career, Nick has achieved 12 podium finishes.
Nick Heidfeld: “I am very pleased to be joining the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team. It’s the team which has attracted the most interest in the close season, not only because of the comeback of Michael Schumacher, but also because this season sees the return of the Silver Arrows cars as a Mercedes-Benz works team for the first time in over fifty years. Whilst I would of course have preferred a seat as an active driver, I am really proud to be part of the new Silver Arrows team. I have seen how committed everyone at the team is and I feel the same. I will be doing my very best to support Michael and Nico this year.”
Ross Brawn, Team Principal: “It’s a great pleasure for us to have signed a driver of the calibre and experience of Nick Heidfeld as our Reserve Race Driver and Test Driver for the 2010 season. Nick has over ten years of experience in Formula One working with established teams and he will be a great asset to MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. I am confident that his input into the development of our MGP W01 car will be invaluable. We look forward to welcoming Nick to MERCEDES GP PETRONAS and working closely with him.”
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “To sign Nick Heidfeld as Reserve Race Driver and Test Driver for MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team means another re-enforcement for our team. We have known each other for many years and Nick was supported by our junior drivers programme from 1997. During his 10 years in Formula One, circumstances often made it difficult for him to achieve his breakthrough. However Nick is extremely capable, he will be an asset to our team and he will show this.”
News from Formula One in the Formation Lap.
Showing posts with label Heidfeld. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heidfeld. Show all posts
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Heidfeld to be Mercedes reserve driver
Nick Heidfeld is to be the test and reserve driver for Mercedes GP this year, after failing to find a race seat on the grid for 2010.
The German, who left BMW Sauber at the end of last season, had been linked with a drive at Mercedes GP before Michael Schumacher's comeback was confirmed.
After losing out on that seat, Heidfeld was believed to have been in talks with Renault and Lotus for a seat in 2010 - but has now accepted a testing role instead.
Speaking about his move, Heidfeld said: "I am very pleased to be joining the Mercedes GP Petronas Formula 1 Team. It's the team which has attracted the most interest in the close season, not only because of the comeback of Michael Schumacher, but also because this season sees the return of the Silver Arrows cars as a Mercedes-Benz works team for the first time in over 50 years.
"While I would of course have preferred a seat as an active driver, I am really proud to be part of the new Silver Arrows team. I have seen how committed everyone at the team is and I feel the same. I will be doing my very best to support Michael and Nico this year."
Heidfeld will renew his working relationship with Mercedes-Benz, who helped support him as far back as 1997 when he was a junior driver for the German car manufacturer and won the German F3 championship.
His first experience of F1 machinery came at the wheel of a McLaren-Mercedes F1, with whom he became test driver for the 1998 and 1999 season.
Heidfeld's appointment at Mercedes GP means the team now has three German drivers on board - with Schumacher racing alongside Nico Rosberg.
The German, who left BMW Sauber at the end of last season, had been linked with a drive at Mercedes GP before Michael Schumacher's comeback was confirmed.
After losing out on that seat, Heidfeld was believed to have been in talks with Renault and Lotus for a seat in 2010 - but has now accepted a testing role instead.
Speaking about his move, Heidfeld said: "I am very pleased to be joining the Mercedes GP Petronas Formula 1 Team. It's the team which has attracted the most interest in the close season, not only because of the comeback of Michael Schumacher, but also because this season sees the return of the Silver Arrows cars as a Mercedes-Benz works team for the first time in over 50 years.
"While I would of course have preferred a seat as an active driver, I am really proud to be part of the new Silver Arrows team. I have seen how committed everyone at the team is and I feel the same. I will be doing my very best to support Michael and Nico this year."
Heidfeld will renew his working relationship with Mercedes-Benz, who helped support him as far back as 1997 when he was a junior driver for the German car manufacturer and won the German F3 championship.
His first experience of F1 machinery came at the wheel of a McLaren-Mercedes F1, with whom he became test driver for the 1998 and 1999 season.
Heidfeld's appointment at Mercedes GP means the team now has three German drivers on board - with Schumacher racing alongside Nico Rosberg.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Heidfeld still confident of F1 drive
Nick Heidfeld has conceded that Michael Schumacher's comeback hurt his own Formula 1 chances for 2010 - but remains upbeat he can secure a good option for his long-term future in the next few weeks.
The German had been favourite to land a seat at Mercedes GP if negotiations between the team and Schumacher had not been successful.
However, Schumacher's surprise F1 return has left Heidfeld facing an uncertain future – with speculation now linking him with both Renault or even a third-driver role at Mercedes.
Writing on his website, Heidfeld said that Schumacher's decision had hit him – but he said he had no bitter feelings about the situation.
"Of course over the holidays my current job situation did not let go of me, even after Michael Schumacher's decision was published just before Christmas," he said. "This is certainly a great thing for Formula 1 and I wish good luck to Michael and Mercedes.
"This decision affects me directly because it means there is a relevant less space for next year. I am not naive when I say, especially after the past few weeks, a lot of unexpected things can happen in Formula 1."
Heidfeld said he would continue to push hard to find a seat for 2010 – and made it clear his focus was on going somewhere that would be best for his long-term career.
"Now we have to look forward and focus on the best long-term option for my future in Formula 1. I will continue to train hard, conduct talks with the appropriate people and to challenge my chance with all my might," he said.
"I hope in the coming weeks to be able to announce something concrete about my future plans."
The German had been favourite to land a seat at Mercedes GP if negotiations between the team and Schumacher had not been successful.
However, Schumacher's surprise F1 return has left Heidfeld facing an uncertain future – with speculation now linking him with both Renault or even a third-driver role at Mercedes.
Writing on his website, Heidfeld said that Schumacher's decision had hit him – but he said he had no bitter feelings about the situation.
"Of course over the holidays my current job situation did not let go of me, even after Michael Schumacher's decision was published just before Christmas," he said. "This is certainly a great thing for Formula 1 and I wish good luck to Michael and Mercedes.
"This decision affects me directly because it means there is a relevant less space for next year. I am not naive when I say, especially after the past few weeks, a lot of unexpected things can happen in Formula 1."
Heidfeld said he would continue to push hard to find a seat for 2010 – and made it clear his focus was on going somewhere that would be best for his long-term career.
"Now we have to look forward and focus on the best long-term option for my future in Formula 1. I will continue to train hard, conduct talks with the appropriate people and to challenge my chance with all my might," he said.
"I hope in the coming weeks to be able to announce something concrete about my future plans."
Saturday, 14 November 2009
Nick Heidfeld optimistic he’ll race again
To say that BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld endured a difficult 2009 would be something of an understatement. Not only did he score less than a third of the points he clinched the previous year, he also received the shock news that BMW were to withdraw from Formula One racing at the end of the season. A decision that put his future in Formula One under threat, Heidfeld found it difficult to swallow.
“When the phone call came, I could scarcely believe it,” explained the German on his official website. “It took a while for the reality to sink in. My reaction will been fairly typical, especially because all the members of the team were on holiday and the factory was closed. Everyone had to wait a couple of weeks without knowing or being able to ask what the future held. That was a bad time.”
Although BMW have found new buyers for the team, they currently do not have an entry slot for the 2010 championship. That could yet change, following news of Toyota’s pullout, but for now both the team’s and Heidfeld’s F1 fate remain uncertain.
“Clearly there were many factors to take into account,” he added. “But all the same, it's such a tremendous pity. BMW set out to win the Formula One title and I think we could have achieved that goal. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Sauber get a place on the grid in 2010.”
Although his tally of 19 points and 13th in the final standings look relatively meagre on paper when compared to his 2008 haul of four podiums and 60 points, Heidfeld is hopeful that teams still seeking a 2010 driver will look beyond the numbers and recognise his previous achievements and depth of experience.
“I'm not dissatisfied with my performance in 2009, as I feel that I generally got the maximum out of the car I was given,” he concluded. “But when you're battling for victories and podiums, people look only at the statistics - in the media at least. Fortunately, the people who run the teams can see beyond that. So all in all, I'm quite optimistic about the future.”
Heidfeld, who made his F1 debut with Prost in 2000, is one of the most experienced drivers on the market, and while he has yet to win a race, he has racked up 12 podiums, one pole and 219 points over his 10-year career.
“When the phone call came, I could scarcely believe it,” explained the German on his official website. “It took a while for the reality to sink in. My reaction will been fairly typical, especially because all the members of the team were on holiday and the factory was closed. Everyone had to wait a couple of weeks without knowing or being able to ask what the future held. That was a bad time.”
Although BMW have found new buyers for the team, they currently do not have an entry slot for the 2010 championship. That could yet change, following news of Toyota’s pullout, but for now both the team’s and Heidfeld’s F1 fate remain uncertain.
“Clearly there were many factors to take into account,” he added. “But all the same, it's such a tremendous pity. BMW set out to win the Formula One title and I think we could have achieved that goal. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Sauber get a place on the grid in 2010.”
Although his tally of 19 points and 13th in the final standings look relatively meagre on paper when compared to his 2008 haul of four podiums and 60 points, Heidfeld is hopeful that teams still seeking a 2010 driver will look beyond the numbers and recognise his previous achievements and depth of experience.
“I'm not dissatisfied with my performance in 2009, as I feel that I generally got the maximum out of the car I was given,” he concluded. “But when you're battling for victories and podiums, people look only at the statistics - in the media at least. Fortunately, the people who run the teams can see beyond that. So all in all, I'm quite optimistic about the future.”
Heidfeld, who made his F1 debut with Prost in 2000, is one of the most experienced drivers on the market, and while he has yet to win a race, he has racked up 12 podiums, one pole and 219 points over his 10-year career.
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Heidfeld 'pretty certain' of F1 seat
Nick Heidfeld says he is confident he will be in Formula 1 next year, despite not having secured a contract for 2010 yet.
The German driver's future was left facing uncertainty after BMW announced it will leave Formula 1 at the end of the season.
Although the financial future of the team has been secured with a buyout from a Swiss company, the Hinwil-based squad still has no place on the grid for next year, with some teams not willing to expand the grid even further.
Despite that, Heidfeld is "pretty certain" he will have a seat in F1 next season.
"I think it's pretty certain that it's going to be BMW Sauber's last race. I hope Sauber will be here next year, and I'm pretty certain I will be here next year," Heidfeld told reporters in Abu Dhabi.
"Obviously it's special in terms of the emotions."
When asked if he was confident he will be in F1 next year, he said: "Yes. Nothing's signed yet. We are talking to a couple of teams and I won't say more than that."
The BMW Sauber driver admitted it would be a "huge pity" if the team was absent from the championship in 2010.
"Hopefully they will be, because obviously you can't really regard it as a new team. I think Sauber will do a lot better than the other new teams in terms of how they will perform," he added.
"I think that should be more important than having new teams in Formula 1. Obviously is good to bring new teams and more cars, but it would be a huge pity if the team was not there. It would be difficult to understand."
And although Heidfeld concedes the staff is having a tough time, he reckons everybody in the team is still focused on doing a good job.
"I think everybody is able to focus on the job when they have to do it. It's not an easy situation for a lot of the people not knowing what they will do next year, or if Sauber will do next year. But I think it doesn't influence the work they do on track."
The German driver's future was left facing uncertainty after BMW announced it will leave Formula 1 at the end of the season.
Although the financial future of the team has been secured with a buyout from a Swiss company, the Hinwil-based squad still has no place on the grid for next year, with some teams not willing to expand the grid even further.
Despite that, Heidfeld is "pretty certain" he will have a seat in F1 next season.
"I think it's pretty certain that it's going to be BMW Sauber's last race. I hope Sauber will be here next year, and I'm pretty certain I will be here next year," Heidfeld told reporters in Abu Dhabi.
"Obviously it's special in terms of the emotions."
When asked if he was confident he will be in F1 next year, he said: "Yes. Nothing's signed yet. We are talking to a couple of teams and I won't say more than that."
The BMW Sauber driver admitted it would be a "huge pity" if the team was absent from the championship in 2010.
"Hopefully they will be, because obviously you can't really regard it as a new team. I think Sauber will do a lot better than the other new teams in terms of how they will perform," he added.
"I think that should be more important than having new teams in Formula 1. Obviously is good to bring new teams and more cars, but it would be a huge pity if the team was not there. It would be difficult to understand."
And although Heidfeld concedes the staff is having a tough time, he reckons everybody in the team is still focused on doing a good job.
"I think everybody is able to focus on the job when they have to do it. It's not an easy situation for a lot of the people not knowing what they will do next year, or if Sauber will do next year. But I think it doesn't influence the work they do on track."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)