Nick Heidfeld

Nick Lars Heidfeld (German pronunciation: [nɪk laʁs ˈhaɪtfɛlt]; born 10 May 1977) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 2000 to 2011.

Born and raised in Mönchengladbach, Heidfeld began competitive kart racing aged 11. He progressed to Formula Ford in 1994, winning multiple national championships before graduating to Formula Three. After finishing third in 1996, Heidfeld won the German Formula Three Championship the following year, also winning the Monaco F3 Grand Prix. He then finished runner-up to Juan Pablo Montoya in International F3000, before winning the series in 1999. A test driver for McLaren since 1998, Heidfeld signed for Prost in 2000 to partner Jean Alesi, making his Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix. After a non-classified championship finish for Prost with the AP03, Heidfeld moved to Sauber in 2001, finishing fourth on debut and taking his maiden podium at the Brazilian Grand Prix as he outscored rookie teammate Kimi Räikkönen.

Heidfeld remained at Sauber for two further seasons before moving to Jordan in 2004, where he scored multiple points finishes in the relatively uncompetitive EJ14. He signed for Williams in 2005, scoring several podiums amongst his maiden pole position at the European Grand Prix. Following a string of high-profile injuries, Heidfeld left Williams to re-join Sauber—now known as BMW Sauber—in 2006. He scored eight podiums across four seasons with BMW Sauber, finishing a career-best fifth in the World Drivers' Championship in 2007. BMW withdrew from the sport at the end of the 2009 season, leaving Heidfeld without a seat. He replaced Pedro de la Rosa at Sauber from the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix onwards, and joined Renault for his 2011 campaign to substitute for an injured Robert Kubica. Heidfeld took his final podium in Malaysia before he was replaced by Bruno Senna after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Heidfeld departed Formula One with one pole position, two fastest laps and 13 podiums, the latter of which remains the record without winning a Grand Prix.

Heidfeld moved to Formula E for its inaugural 2014–15 season with Venturi, achieving his first podium at the Moscow ePrix before joining Mahindra in 2015. Over three seasons with Mahindra, Heidfeld scored seven further podiums before leaving at the end of 2017–18. Outside of formula racing, Heidfeld has entered six editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning the LMP1-L class in 2014 and finishing fourth overall twice. He competed in five seasons of the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2012 to 2016 with Rebellion, and finished runner-up in the American Le Mans Series in 2013. Heidfeld served as chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association in 2010.

Heidfeld was born in Mönchengladbach, West Germany on 10 May 1977, and began racing karts at the age of 11 in 1988. In 1994, he moved into the German Formula Ford series, gaining widespread attention by winning eight of the nine races to take the title that season. In 1995, he won the German International Formula Ford 1800 Championship, and came second in the Zetec Cup. This led to a drive in the German Formula Three Championship for 1996, where he finished third overall, after taking three wins. He entered the end of the season Macau Grand Prix and won the first heat of the race, attracting the attention of compatriot Norbert Haug, who later signed him up for the West Competition team.

The following year, Heidfeld won the German F3 Championship for Bertram Schäfer Racing, with support from McLaren/West, including a win at the Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race. In 1998, he won three races and was runner-up in the International Formula 3000 championship, with the West Competition team. At the final race of the season he was demoted to the back of the grid from pole position, after his team used non-compliant fuel. He finished the race ninth and out of the points, losing the championship by seven points to Juan Pablo Montoya. During that season, he was also the official test driver for the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team. In 1999, he won the International Formula 3000 Championship. That year he also took the official track record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed which stood for 20 years. He was also a member of the Mercedes squad that raced at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the team withdrew after the Mercedes-Benz CLR back-flipped on the Mulsanne Straight while Mark Webber and Peter Dumbreck were driving.^{[citation needed]}

Heidfeld was signed as a race driver for the Prost Grand Prix F1 team for the 2000 season, alongside Formula One veteran Jean Alesi. Heidfeld struggled with his new car and suffered a string of retirements, as well as colliding with his teammate on more than one occasion.

Heidfeld departed the ill-fated Prost at the end of that season, before signing a three-year contract with Sauber for 2001. He was partnered with then rookie driver Kimi Räikkönen. Heidfeld scored his first podium with a third-place finish in the Brazilian Grand Prix. After the announcement of Mika Häkkinen's retirement, many thought that Heidfeld would replace him in the McLaren-Mercedes team, as he had Mercedes backing and had outscored the much more inexperienced Räikkönen by three points over the year. However, the McLaren seat went to Räikkönen, and Heidfeld stayed with Sauber for 2002 and 2003, where he racked up a number of points finishes. In 2002 he outperformed another rookie teammate, Felipe Massa, but was then beaten by his more experienced fellow countryman, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, in 2003.