Nick Lars Heidfeld, born on May 10, 1977, in Mönchengladbach, West Germany, is a German racing driver known for his stint in F1 from 2000 until 2011.
| Nationality | German |
|---|---|
| Born | Nick Lars Heidfeld 10 May 1977 Mönchengladbach, West Germany |
Heidfeld started kart racing at the age of 11 in 1988. By 1994, he had moved into the German Formula Ford series, where he quickly made a name for himself by winning 8 out of 9 races and clinching the title that season. The following year, he secured the German International Formula Ford 1800 Championship and was runner-up in the Zetec Cup. His performance earned him a spot in the 1996 German Formula Three Championship, where he finished third overall with three wins.
By 2000, Heidfeld’s driving awarded him with a drive with the Prost F1 team alongside veteran Jean Alesi. Despite a challenging season with multiple retirements and incidents, including collisions with Alesi, he moved to Sauber in 2001. There, paired with rookie Kimi Räikkönen, he achieved his first Formula One podium at the 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix. Despite outscoring Räikkönen that year, Heidfeld stayed with Sauber until 2003, consistently finishing in the points and outperforming another rookie teammate, Felipe Massa, in 2002.
After leaving Sauber, Heidfeld raced for the Jordan team in 2004, where he often exceeded the capabilities of the team’s car, notably at the 2004 Monaco and Canadian Grand Prix. He continued to score podiums with Williams in 2005 and later with BMW Sauber in 2007 and 2008, though he never secured a race win.
In 2011, Heidfeld joined the Renault Formula One team, temporarily replacing the injured Robert Kubica. The 2011 season would be his last in F1, but he went on to race with teams like Rebellion Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship and Mahindra Racing in Formula E.
Nick Heidfeld Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 2000–2011 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Prost, Sauber, Jordan, Williams, BMW Sauber, Renault |
| Entries | 185 (183 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 13 |
| Career points | 259 |
| Pole positions | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| First entry | 2000 Australian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix |
Sources: Wikipedia.com
