Nick Heidfeld facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nick Heidfeld
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Heidfeld in 2019
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| Born |
Nick Lars Heidfeld
10 May 1977 |
| 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 (born 10 May 1977) is a German former racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 2000 to 2011. He also raced in Formula E and the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
Born in Mönchengladbach, Germany, Heidfeld started kart racing at age 11. He quickly moved up to faster racing series. He won many championships before reaching Formula One. He is known for having the most podium finishes in Formula One without ever winning a race.
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Nick Heidfeld's Early Racing Days
Nick Heidfeld was born in Mönchengladbach, West Germany, on May 10, 1977. He began his racing journey in 1988, at just 11 years old, by racing karts.
In 1994, he moved to the German Formula Ford series. He quickly became well-known by winning 8 out of 9 races. The next year, 1995, he won the German International Formula Ford 1800 Championship. He also finished second in the Zetec Cup.
Moving Up to Formula Three
His success led him to the German Formula Three Championship in 1996. He finished third overall, with three wins. He also won the first part of the Macau Grand Prix at the end of that season. This caught the eye of Norbert Haug, who later signed him for the West Competition team.
The following year, 1997, Heidfeld won the German F3 Championship. He also won the Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race. In 1998, he was second in the International Formula 3000 championship. He won three races that year. He lost the championship by a small amount of points. This was because his team used illegal fuel in the final race.
During 1998, he was also a test driver for the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team. In 1999, he won the International Formula 3000 Championship. He also set a track record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This record stood for 20 years.
Nick Heidfeld's Formula One Career
Heidfeld joined the Prost Grand Prix F1 team in 2000. He raced alongside experienced driver Jean Alesi. Heidfeld had a tough first year. He often had to stop racing early and sometimes crashed with his teammate.
Time with Sauber (2001–2003)
After 2000, Heidfeld moved to Sauber for three years, starting in 2001. His teammate was a new driver, Kimi Räikkönen. Heidfeld earned his first podium finish by coming third in the Brazilian Grand Prix. He scored more points than Räikkönen that year.
Many thought Heidfeld would join McLaren after Mika Häkkinen retired. However, Räikkönen got the McLaren seat instead. Heidfeld stayed with Sauber in 2002 and 2003. He earned many points finishes. In 2002, he did better than another new teammate, Felipe Massa. But in 2003, his more experienced countryman, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, beat him.
Racing for Jordan (2004)
In 2004, Heidfeld joined the Jordan team. The Jordan car was not very competitive. But Heidfeld often drove better than the car allowed. He finished seventh at the Monaco Grand Prix. He also finished eighth at the Canadian Grand Prix. He ended the season with three points.
Joining Williams (2005)
In 2005, Heidfeld became a race driver for the Williams team. He often finished ahead of his teammate, Mark Webber. At his home race in Germany, the European Grand Prix, Heidfeld earned his first and only pole position. This means he started the race from the very front. He finished second in Monaco and again in Germany that year.
Heidfeld missed some races in 2005 due to injuries. He was hurt in a testing accident. Then, he was hit by a motorbike while cycling. This made him miss the rest of the season.
Years with BMW Sauber (2006–2009)
Heidfeld joined BMW Sauber in 2006. BMW had bought the Sauber team. He scored points many times for his new team. In Australia, he was running in second place. He finished fourth in that race. At the Indianapolis race, he was in a big crash on the first lap. His car flipped over many times. But he was not hurt.
At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Heidfeld got BMW Sauber's first podium finish. He came in third place. He had started tenth on the grid.
2007 Season
Heidfeld started the 2007 season very well. He finished fourth in the first three races. He also got a second-place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix. This was his best-ever Grand Prix finish. He finished fifth in the championship that year with 61 points. He scored 22 more points than his teammate, Robert Kubica.
In April 2007, Heidfeld drove a Formula One car on the famous Nürburgring track. He was the first driver in 31 years to do this. About 45,000 fans came to watch.
2008 Season
Heidfeld stayed with BMW for 2008. He started the season strong, finishing second in Australia. In Malaysia, he set his first-ever fastest lap. In Bahrain, he finished fourth. This put him in second place in the championship.
Later in the season, Heidfeld and Kubica made history for BMW Sauber. They got the team's first win and first one-two finish in Canada. Heidfeld finished second in that race. He also finished second at the British Grand Prix in wet conditions. He set the fastest lap again at his home race in Germany. He finished second again at the Belgian Grand Prix. He ended the season in sixth place overall.
Heidfeld also set a record in 2008. He became the first driver since 2002 to finish every single race in a season.
2009 Season
In 2009, Heidfeld finished second at the Malaysian Grand Prix. The race was stopped early due to heavy rain. Because of this, drivers only received half points. This second-place finish meant he tied a record. He now had the most podium finishes (13) without ever winning a Grand Prix.
His streak of 41 straight classified finishes ended in Singapore. He crashed with another car. He finished the season in thirteenth place.
Later Years in Formula One (2010–2011)
After BMW left Formula One in 2009, Heidfeld's future was unclear. He became a test and reserve driver for Mercedes. He also became a test driver for Pirelli, a tire company.
In September 2010, Heidfeld returned to racing for Sauber. This was his third time with the team. In 2011, he joined Lotus Renault GP. He replaced Robert Kubica, who was injured in a rally accident.
Heidfeld scored his thirteenth and final podium finish in Malaysia in 2011. He finished third. He was later replaced by Bruno Senna after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Heidfeld officially left Formula One in September 2011. He ended his F1 career with one pole position, two fastest laps, and 13 podiums.
Beyond Formula One
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After Formula One, Heidfeld moved to Formula E. This is a racing series for electric cars. He joined Venturi for the first Formula E season in 2014–15. He got his first podium in Formula E at the Moscow ePrix. He then joined Mahindra in 2015. He earned seven more podiums with Mahindra before leaving in 2018.
Heidfeld has also raced in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race six times. He won the LMP1-L class in 2014. He also finished fourth overall twice. He competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2012 to 2016. He finished second in the American Le Mans Series in 2013.
Personal Life
Nick Heidfeld lives in Stäfa, Switzerland. He is married and has three children. He has an older brother, Tim, and a younger brother, Sven. Sven is also a former racing driver and now works as a TV commentator in Germany.
Formula One fans gave Nick Heidfeld the nickname "Quick Nick." He got this nickname while driving for Williams in 2005.
Images for kids
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Heidfeld in 2019
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FIA Platinum Driver.png
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Nick Heidfeld Lola F3000, West Competition
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Heidfeld driving the Jordan EJ14 at the 2004 Canadian Grand Prix
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Heidfeld driving the FW27 for Williams at the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix.
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Heidfeld driving the F1.06 for BMW Sauber at the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix
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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
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Heidfeld took second place at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix.
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Heidfeld, who finished second in 2008 Australian Grand Prix, with race winner Lewis Hamilton on the podium
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Heidfeld scored his fourth second-place finish of 2008 at the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix.
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Heidfeld tied Stefan Johansson's record for most podium finishes without a win by finishing second at the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix.
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Heidfeld driving for Sauber at the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix
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Heidfeld scored his thirteenth podium finish at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.
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The Lola B12/60 driven by Heidfeld and his teammates during the 2014 6 Hours of São Paulo.
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Heidfeld signing autographs at the Battersea Park Street Circuit Formula E weekend, June 2015
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Heidfeld's racing suit
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See also
In Spanish: Nick Heidfeld para niños
