Nick Heidfeld

Nick Heidfeld was born in Monchengladbach, Germany, in 1977. At the age of 13, he took part in his first Kart racing championship and that was the beginning of a long and distinguished career. He became a part of Nordrheim - Westfalen DMV Karting Championships. His performances ensured that he got selected to be a part of the ADAC team for the World and European championships in 1991. He finished 1992 in 5th place, in the German Karting Championships.

Things were looking up for 'Quick Nick' as he moved to the Formula A world Championships in Laval, in 1993. His performances were not mind-blowing, but were solid enough to deserve a call up to the Formula Ford Series. He didn't disappoint as he took eight wins from his nine starts and ended up as the champion for the 1994 season, in the 1600 class. In 1995, he extended his domination to the German Formula Ford 1800 series by ruling that class as well as finished second overall in the German Formula Ford series.
His promotion to Formula3 was fruitful as he grabbed third place at the end of the season, in his very first year. Heidfeld was intent on proving how good he was at the big stage and his progress was slowly moving him towards the Formula1 arena. He went two better in Formula3 in the following year as he became crowned the champion in the German Formula3 Championships.

He moved onto the Formula 3000 competition and in his first season, came in at second place with a number of solid drives. In 1999, Heidfeld won the Formula 3000 championship and in the process, impressed McLaren Mercedes into giving him a test-drive. In 2000, it finally happened. Not with McLaren maybe, but with the Prost-Peugeot team. He made his debut and spent the season learning the finer nuances of the Formula1 car. This, however, didn't mean that he was not good on the big stage. In fact, Heidfeld had impressed enough to get a call-up from the Sauber Petronas team for 2001 and he delivered the goods with an 8th place finish in the overall drivers' standings along with one podium finish for a total of 12 points in the season.

He stayed with Sauber for two more seasons, in 2002 and 2003, earning 7 and 6 points over the two seasons, respectively.

After a disappointing season with Jordan in 2004, Heidfeld moved to a strong Williams-BMW team for the 2005 season and despite doubts on his ability, he proved that all that was needed was a better car. He finished with 3 podium finishes although his season was marred with a number of mishaps. He was much faster than most on the tracks, especially his teammate Mark Webber, until his testing accident at Monza. Heidfeld was going strong in 2005 and had already conjured two second place finishes at the Nurburgring and in Monaco. However, his upwards climbing graph was cut short suddenly by his accident. He was forced to watch the rest of the season from the sidelines. As soon as he got back, he suffered another motorcycle crash which ensured that he missed the last five races of the season. He ended the season with 28 points, in 11th place, despite missing almost half of the calendar year.

In 2006, BMW shifted partners and combined with Sauber to give Heidfeld his shot. As part of the contract between BMW and Sauber, the team needed to have one German driver in the top two driving spots at all times. Heidfeld became the chosen one. In 2006, he didn't do much, just managing a podium place in Hungary. But when the team decided to keep him on for the 2007 season, he didn't disappoint them.
Alongside Robert Kubica, Heidfeld had his best season so far, in 2007. The car was good and so was Heidfeld. He blazed away to 63 points and a fifth place finish for the season. He also claimed a podium finish in Hungary and immediately followed it up with a second place at Canada.
After the disqualification of McLaren, at the end of the season, Heidfeld will end up in number 3 spot although knowing the German, he would rather earn it than be presented with the placement. In 2008, Heidfeld will still be looking for his first win but with a strong car and an able teammate, chances are that things might be on the verge for a better future for the German.