Nick Heidfeld

- Published on Dec 17th, 2010 by The Badger

Life Before F1

After a successful career in karts Heidfeld quickly rose through the junior categories to F1. German Formula Ford 16000 champ in 1994, he then claimed his native F3 series crown in '97. 1998 saw him finish runner-up to Juan Pablo Montoya in the Formula 3000 standings, a crown he returned to win the following year. After claiming the F1 support series crown the big league was the next logical step, and Alain Prost handed him his chance in 2000.

F1 Career

He may look like a low budget Benny Andersson impersonator but Nick Heidfeld isn’t too bad behind the wheel of a racing car, although you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise given the reaction when it was announced that he would be the man to stand in for Robert Kubica. A few fans seemed uninspired by Renault’s choice but “Nice Nick” is more than just a safe pair of hands.

Take a glance at his decade in Formula One and it is easy to see why his selection didn’t really set the pulse racing – he holds the records for most career championship points without a win, the most podiums without a win and the most second place finishes without a win. Those statistics won’t be welcome on any drivers’ CV but they don’t tell the whole story.

With the exception of a season or two at BMW Sauber he was rarely in a car capable of competing at the sharp end of the grid but when in a battle with drivers in equivalent machinery he was a force to be reckoned with. Few team mates have ever got the better of Nick Heidfeld.

 

In his second season he joined Sauber and was paired up alongside the then debutant Kimi Raikkonen. Nick picked up 12 points to Kimi’s 9. The next season he was again joined by a young rookie, this time Felipe Massa. Once again he outperformed his team mate. In 2005 he moved to Williams and dominated Mark Webber until a testing accident ended his season prematurely. He did similar in 2006 and 2007, beating Jacques Villeneuve and Robert Kubica over the course of a year. The list of drivers he has made his number two reads like a who’s who of modern day F1’s great and good.

It may be a bit much to expect Nick to lead a Renault title charge but if anyone is capable of confounding expectations it’s him. In recent seasons he has made it his trademark to drag his car over the line come hell or high water, stringing together a run of 41 consecutive race finishes between 2007 and 2009 but it wasn’t always that way. When he first stepped into an F1 car he could barely reach the chequered flag. Maybe, just maybe, at the not-so tender age of 33 he’ll suddenly find himself at the front of the field? Then this selection will look more inspired than insipid.