Nick Heidfeld facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nick Heidfeld
Heidfeld in 2019
Born	Nick Lars Heidfeld (1977-05-10) 10 May 1977 (age 48) Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Spouse(s)	Patricia Papen ​ (m. 2011)​
Children	3
Relatives	Sven Heidfeld (brother)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	German
Active years	2000–2011
Teams	Prost, Sauber, Jordan, Williams, BMW Sauber, Renault
Entries	186 (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
Formula E career
Racing licence	FIA Platinum
Years active	2014–2018
Teams	Venturi, Mahindra
Car no.	23
Starts	44
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	8
Poles	0
Fastest laps	1
Best finish	7th in 2016–17
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	1999, 2012–2016
Teams	Mercedes, Rebellion
Best finish	4th (2012, 2014)
Class wins	1 (2014)
Previous series
2012–2016 2013 2012 2012 1998–1999 1996–1997 1994–1995	FIA WEC ALMS V8 Supercars Porsche Supercup International F3000 German F3 German FFord
Championship titles
1999 1997 1997 1995 1994	International F3000 German F3 Monaco F3 Grand Prix German FFord 1800 German FFord 1600

Nick Lars Heidfeld is a German former racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 2000 to 2011. Formula One is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars.

Born in Mönchengladbach, Germany, Heidfeld started kart racing at age 11. He moved to Formula Ford in 1994, winning many championships. Then he raced in Formula Three, winning the German Formula Three Championship in 1997. He also won the Monaco F3 Grand Prix that year.

Heidfeld became a test driver for McLaren in 1998. He then joined the Prost Formula One team in 2000. In 2001, he moved to Sauber and earned his first podium finish. A podium means finishing in the top three.

He stayed with Sauber for two more seasons. In 2004, he raced for Jordan. He then joined Williams in 2005, where he achieved his first pole position. A pole position means starting the race from the very front.

Heidfeld later joined BMW Sauber in 2006. He earned eight podiums with them and finished fifth in the World Drivers' Championship in 2007. After BMW left Formula One, Heidfeld returned to Sauber in 2010. He then raced for Renault in 2011. He achieved his final podium in Malaysia before leaving Formula One. He holds the record for the most podium finishes (13) without winning a Grand Prix.

After Formula One, Heidfeld raced in Formula E from 2014 to 2018. Formula E is a racing series for electric cars. He also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times. He won a class title there in 2014. He also raced in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Early Life and Junior Racing Career

Nick Heidfeld’s Lola F3000, West Competition

Nick Heidfeld was born in Mönchengladbach, West Germany, on May 10, 1977. He started karting when he was 11 years old in 1988. In 1994, he began racing in the German Formula Ford series. He quickly became well-known by winning 8 out of 9 races that season.

In 1995, he won the German International Formula Ford 1800 Championship. He also finished second in the Zetec Cup. These successes led him to race in the German Formula Three Championship in 1996. He finished third overall that year, with three wins. He also won the first part of the Macau Grand Prix. This caught the eye of Norbert Haug, who later signed him for the West Competition team.

Success in Junior Categories

In 1997, Heidfeld won the German F3 Championship. He also won the Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race. In 1998, he was runner-up in the International Formula 3000 championship. He won three races that season.

Heidfeld was also a test driver for the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team in 1998. In 1999, he won the International Formula 3000 Championship. He also set a track record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that year. This record stood for 20 years.

Formula One Career Highlights

Starting with Prost (2000)

Heidfeld became a race driver for the Prost Grand Prix F1 team in 2000. He raced alongside experienced driver Jean Alesi. Heidfeld found it tough with his new car. He had many retirements and sometimes crashed with his teammate.

Time at Sauber (2001–2003)

Heidfeld left Prost and signed a three-year contract with Sauber for 2001. His teammate was rookie driver Kimi Räikkönen. Heidfeld earned his first podium finish, a third place, at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Many thought Heidfeld would join McLaren-Mercedes. This was because he had Mercedes support and scored more points than Räikkönen. However, Räikkönen got the McLaren seat. Heidfeld stayed with Sauber for 2002 and 2003. He scored many points finishes during these years. In 2002, he performed better than his rookie teammate, Felipe Massa. But in 2003, his more experienced countryman, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, beat him.

Heidfeld driving the Jordan EJ14 at the 2004 Canadian Grand Prix

Racing for Jordan (2004)

At the end of 2003, Heidfeld was replaced at Sauber. It looked like he might not have a race seat for 2004. But after showing good skill in preseason tests, he joined the Jordan team. He raced alongside rookie Giorgio Pantano.

The Jordan EJ14 car was not very fast. Despite this, Heidfeld often drove better than the car's ability. He finished seventh at the Monaco Grand Prix and eighth at the Canadian Grand Prix. He ended the season with three points.

Joining Williams (2005)

Heidfeld driving the FW27 for Williams at the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix.

In the winter of 2004–2005, Heidfeld tested with the Williams team. He was competing against Antônio Pizzonia for a race seat. On January 31, 2005, Williams announced Heidfeld would be their driver for 2005. He replaced Juan Pablo Montoya.

Heidfeld performed well that season, often finishing ahead of his teammate Mark Webber. At the seventh race of 2005, his home Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, Heidfeld earned his first and only pole position. He finished second in Monaco and again at the Nürburgring.

Heidfeld missed the Italian and Belgian Grands Prix due to injuries from a testing accident. He was injured again when hit by a motorbike while cycling. This forced him to miss the rest of the season.

Years with BMW Sauber (2006–2009)

2006 Season with BMW Sauber

Heidfeld signed a contract with BMW. BMW bought the Sauber team and formed BMW Sauber for the 2006 season. He replaced Felipe Massa.

In 2006, Heidfeld scored points many times for his new team. At the Melbourne race, he was running in second place. He finished fourth. At Indianapolis, he was involved in a big first-lap accident. His car rolled over, but he was unharmed.

The Hungarian Grand Prix saw Heidfeld give BMW Sauber their first podium finish. He finished third, even though he started tenth on the grid.

2007 Season with BMW Sauber

Heidfeld driving the F1.07 for BMW Sauber at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix, where he took his best result of the season by finishing in second place

Heidfeld took second place at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix.

Heidfeld, who finished second in 2008 Australian Grand Prix, with race winner Lewis Hamilton on the podium

Heidfeld started the 2007 season very well. In Bahrain, he passed reigning world champion Fernando Alonso. He finished half a minute ahead of his teammate Robert Kubica. He scored three fourth places in the first three races. He also got a second place at the Canadian Grand Prix. This was his best Grand Prix finish.

Heidfeld returned to good form in Hungary. He qualified second and finished third, earning another podium for BMW. He finished fourth in Turkey and Italy, and fifth in Belgium. He ended the season in a career-best fifth place in the championship with 61 points. He outscored Kubica by 22 points.

On April 28, 2007, Heidfeld drove a modern F1 car on the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife track. He was the first driver in 31 years to do this. About 45,000 people watched the event.

2008 Season with BMW Sauber

Heidfeld scored his fourth second-place finish of 2008 at the Belgian Grand Prix.

BMW confirmed that Heidfeld would stay with the team for 2008. Heidfeld started the 2008 season strongly. He finished second in Australia after qualifying fifth. In Malaysia, he finished sixth and set his first fastest lap. In Bahrain, he climbed to fourth place. This put him second in the championship standings.

Later in the season, Heidfeld and Kubica made history for BMW Sauber. They achieved the team's first victory and first one-two finish in Canada. Heidfeld finished second in that race. He also had a strong performance at the British Grand Prix, finishing second in wet conditions. He set the fastest lap at his home Grand Prix in Hockenheim.

Another second-place finish at the Belgian Grand Prix followed. He then finished fifth and sixth in Italy and Singapore. This put him just one point behind Kimi Räikkönen with three races left. On October 6, it was confirmed that Heidfeld and Kubica would stay at BMW Sauber for 2009.

In the last three races, Heidfeld scored four points. He finished sixth in the standings. Heidfeld became only the second driver to finish 18 races in a single season. He was also the first driver to finish every race in a season since Michael Schumacher in 2002.

2009 Season with BMW Sauber

Heidfeld tied Stefan Johansson's record for most podium finishes without a win by finishing second at the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Heidfeld started 2009 in Australia, finishing 10th. At the Malaysian Grand Prix, the race stopped due to heavy rain. Heidfeld was running second when the results were taken. Since less than 75% of the race was completed, drivers received half points.

He scored more points in Spain and finished fifth in Belgium. A seventh-place finish in Italy added two more points. He had four points-scoring finishes in the final six races. This secured him thirteenth position in the Drivers' Championship.

In Singapore, Heidfeld's streak of 41 consecutive classified finishes ended. This was due to a collision with Force India's Adrian Sutil.

2010: New Roles

Mercedes and Pirelli Test Driver

BMW decided to leave Formula One at the end of 2009. Heidfeld's future in the sport was uncertain. He was considered for a seat at Mercedes GP but they signed Michael Schumacher. He was also considered by McLaren and Sauber, but those didn't work out.

On February 4, Heidfeld was confirmed as the test and reserve driver for Mercedes. At the Australian Grand Prix, Heidfeld became Chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. He left this role to become Pirelli's test driver. Pirelli was becoming the new tire supplier for Formula One. Heidfeld tested a Toyota car with Pirelli tires several times in 2010.

Return to F1 with Sauber (2010)

Heidfeld driving for Sauber at the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix

In September 2010, Heidfeld returned to Formula One racing. He replaced Pedro de la Rosa at the Sauber team for the rest of the 2010 season. This was his third time with Sauber. On October 4, 2010, Sauber announced their drivers for 2011. This left Heidfeld without a drive for the next season. However, he later replaced Robert Kubica at Renault. Kubica was injured in a rally accident.

Lotus Renault (2011)

Heidfeld scored his thirteenth podium finish at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.

On February 9, 2011, Lotus Renault GP confirmed Heidfeld would share testing duties. This was to see if he could replace the injured Robert Kubica. On Saturday, Heidfeld set the fastest time of the day. He said he enjoyed driving the car. Heidfeld was confirmed as Kubica's replacement on February 16, 2011.

In Australia, the first race of the season, Heidfeld finished 12th. He had car damage early in the race. On April 10, 2011, Heidfeld finished third in Malaysia. He started sixth. This broke Stefan Johansson's record of 12 podiums without a win. He finished 12th in China and seventh in Turkey. He had two eighth-place finishes in Spain and Monaco.

He retired from the Canadian Grand Prix after hitting Kamui Kobayashi. His car caught fire in the Hungarian Grand Prix, forcing him to retire again. Heidfeld was replaced by Bruno Senna before the Belgian Grand Prix. Heidfeld officially left the team on September 2, 2011.

Legacy in Formula One

In 2016, a study ranked Heidfeld as the 23rd best Formula One driver of all time. This study looked at how much a driver and their car influenced race results.

Endurance Racing Career

The Lola B12/60 driven by Heidfeld and his teammates during the 2014 6 Hours of São Paulo.

On February 1, 2012, it was confirmed that Heidfeld would join the Rebellion Racing team. He competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours and some races of the FIA World Endurance Championship. He raced a Lola-Toyota LMP1 car with teammates Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost.

At Le Mans, Heidfeld and his teammates finished fourth. They were very fast and had no problems during the race. He also competed in five seasons of the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2012 to 2016. He finished second in the American Le Mans Series in 2013.

Formula E Racing

Heidfeld signing autographs at the Battersea Park Street Circuit Formula E weekend, June 2015

On June 26, 2014, Heidfeld signed up for the first season of Formula E. He raced for Venturi Grand Prix. In the first race in Beijing, he had a big accident on the final lap. He was fighting for the lead with e.Dams Renault driver Nicolas Prost. Prost later said the crash was his fault.

At the Putrajaya ePrix, Heidfeld retired after a collision. He was also disqualified for changing his car outside the allowed area during a pit stop. He joined Mahindra in 2015. Over three seasons with Mahindra, Heidfeld earned seven more podiums. He left Formula E at the end of the 2017–18 season.

Personal Life

Heidfeld's racing suit

Nick Heidfeld lives in Stäfa, Switzerland. He lives with his wife, Patricia Papen, whom he married in 2011. They have three children. His older brother is Tim, and his younger brother, Sven, is also a former racing driver. Sven is now a motorsport commentator for German television.

Formula One fans gave Nick Heidfeld the nickname "Quick Nick." He got this nickname while driving for Williams in 2005.

Racing Records

Career Summary

† As Heidfeld was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

Formula Racing Details

German Formula Three Results

International Formula 3000 Results

Formula One Results

^† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

Formula One Records

Heidfeld holds these Formula One records:

Formula E Results

Formula E Records

Heidfeld shares this Formula E record:

Endurance Racing Results

Le Mans 24 Hours Results

Year	Entrant	Co-drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class pos.
1999	AMG-Mercedes	Christophe Bouchut Peter Dumbreck	Mercedes-Benz CLR	LMGTP	75	DNF	DNF
2012	Rebellion Racing	Nicolas Prost Neel Jani	Lola B12/60-Toyota	LMP1	367	4th	4th
2013	Rebellion Racing	Nicolas Prost Neel Jani	Lola B12/60-Toyota	LMP1	275	39th	7th
2014	Rebellion Racing	Nicolas Prost Mathias Beche	Rebellion R-One-Toyota	LMP1-L	360	4th	1st
2015	Rebellion Racing	Nicolas Prost Mathias Beche	Rebellion R-One-AER	LMP1	330	23rd	10th
2016	Rebellion Racing	Nelson Piquet Jr. Nicolas Prost	Rebellion R-One-AER	LMP1	330	29th	6th
Sources:

FIA World Endurance Championship Results

American Le Mans Series Results

IMSA SportsCar Championship Results

See also

In Spanish: Nick Heidfeld para niños