Nick Heidfeld

[ioan]

Not many posts about him after yesterday's flawless performance.

Here's what his, very happy, boss had to say about it:



"We expected wet weather conditions so we sent him out on a high fuel load and he was just able to stay out until the rain came. It meant he could do it on one pit stop, which was a very good strategy.

"Then in the wet, I have to say Nick did a fantastic job. He had been on his wet tyres for very long already when it really poured down, and the car was undriveable.

"We were ready all the time to service him, but he decided lap after lap to stay out, and he finally managed it until the red flag. That was the key then to P2 - and it tells a lot not just about Nick's experience but also his driving capabilities in the wet. That was really very good."


http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74322

I'm sure that BMW are more than happy to have him in that seat!
Hopefully he'll get that elusive first win this season, but for that he needs the team to support him without any doubt.

[Bagwan]

"he decided lap after lap to stay out" is the line I like best .

Nick managed the conditions perfectly .
I hope this puts Nick on equal footing with his team-mate , as last year I had doubts of that being the case .

It must give them great confidence in his decision making , and impresses me that they would give him those reins .


I wonder where he learned that long fuel strategy .

[aryan]

Quick Nick has always been quick. I think he will be very competitive this season and his stock should really rise.

Last year he was overshadowed by Kubica's admittedly flawless performance, but the fact is, even though he was outqualified most of the times, he managed to finish the races not far behind Kubica, because of his excellent racing capabilities and higher fuel loads.

He is a perfect "racer". Maybe he is not the quickest around the track over a single lap, but he has that sixth sense of knowing how to execute a strategy in the race, that I think is the distinguishing factor between simply quick drivers, and world champions.

I hope he gets his first win this season. I'm sure he'll like it :)

[tintop]

Nick has become accustomed to and excelled at full fuel-load racing given his lack of qualifying pace. These are solid mid-pack skills, but I'm not sure that he is really a podium challenger under normal conditions. Of course, BMW might turn out to be a mid-pack car this season so Nick could be perfectly suitable for the task. :)

[pettersolberg29]

I think Nick could quite easily lead the rest of the pack this year i.e. best driver after both Brawns and Toyotas. If the diffuser is deemed illgal, China will be a great race!

[ioan]

Nick has become accustomed to and excelled at full fuel-load racing given his lack of qualifying pace. These are solid mid-pack skills, but I'm not sure that he is really a podium challenger under normal conditions. Of course, BMW might turn out to be a mid-pack car this season so Nick could be perfectly suitable for the task. :)

That's rubbish. Nick was regular podium challenger already a few seasons ago with Williams, when he left Webber wondering on several occasions, like when he showed him how to overtake Alonso in Monaco!

[pettersolberg29]

That's rubbish. Nick was regular podium challenger already a few seasons ago with Williams, when he left Webber wondering on several occasions, like when he showed him how to overtake Alonso in Monaco!

I agree

[tintop]

That's rubbish. Nick was regular podium challenger already a few seasons ago with Williams, when he left Webber wondering on several occasions, like when he showed him how to overtake Alonso in Monaco!

Of course it isn't, but then again you knew that. Nick has been at risk on the BMW team over the last 2 years because of his qualifying pace. He has salvaged his career there with a few impressive finishes under variable rain conditions, but he has not been able to match his teammate under normal circumstances.

[emporer_k]

I think he is well over due a first grand prix win.

[ioan]

He has salvaged his career there with a few impressive finishes under variable rain conditions, but he has not been able to match his teammate under normal circumstances.

Nor had his team mate matched him in difficult conditions.

[jens]

I have always liked and rated Heidfeld too and a shame he had to spent so many years in F1 in uncompetitive cars. Interesting that while in his career Nick has achieved 12 podiums, as many as 5 of them have come in the wet, including the last three ones!

I wonder, how much (dis)advantage KERS gives to either BMW driver in their battle, considering that NH is racing with it and RK not? Like last year, Nick is still getting outqualified Robert, so one-lap pace seems to remain his main weakness.

[tintop]

Nor had his team mate matched him in difficult conditions.

Sorry, facts again are not your friend here. Robert outscored Nick in rain races last year. Nick did well this past weekend under rain conditions but Robert had a mechanical, so that doesn't really count for much.

[pettersolberg29]

I seem to believe Nick came 2nd at both Spa and Silverstone in the wet, and only one place behind at Monza. When did kubica outscore him overall?

[tintop]

I seem to believe Nick came 2nd at both Spa and Silverstone in the wet, and only one place behind at Monza. When did kubica outscore him overall?

Monaco, France and Italy. Neither scored in Brazil.

[pettersolberg29]

Monaco - Heidfeld was hit off by Alonso and ran a lap behind for the rest of the race (hardly his fault)
France - Kubica got 5th, and admittedly Nick had a mare in 13th.
Monza - as I said finished two places behind but was hardly outperformed.

Now at:

Spa - Nick 2nd, Kubica 6th
Silverstone - Nick 2nd, Kubica slid off
Malaysia - Nick 2nd, Kubica retired (not his fault)

To me that makes Nick get more points, maybe its only me...

[jens]

France wasn't a proper wet race at all, nobody considered wet tyres, also the laptimes didn't drop dramatically. It was just a bit damp in some corners, nothing more. In Malaysia 2004 or Austria 2003 some raindrops fell in the beginning too, but who would consider those races as wet races?

[ioan]

France wasn't a proper wet race at all, nobody considered wet tyres, also the laptimes didn't drop dramatically. It was just a bit damp in some corners, nothing more. In Malaysia 2004 or Austria 2003 some raindrops fell in the beginning too, but who would consider those races as wet races?

Exactly.

I'm a bit surprised how much certain forum members 'hate' Heidfeld given that he is a very calm and honest person.

[tintop]

Monaco - Heidfeld was hit off by Alonso and ran a lap behind for the rest of the race (hardly his fault)
France - Kubica got 5th, and admittedly Nick had a mare in 13th.
Monza - as I said finished two places behind but was hardly outperformed.

Now at:

Spa - Nick 2nd, Kubica 6th
Silverstone - Nick 2nd, Kubica slid off
Malaysia - Nick 2nd, Kubica retired (not his fault)

To me that makes Nick get more points, maybe its only me...

In the races that had rain (not going to split hairs on what constitutes a proper rain race) and neither driver had an unavoidable mechanical, Robert outscored Nick in 3 of them, Nick outscored Robert in 2. Their point totals in those 5 races where 21 for Robert and 20 for Nick. Very close and hardly supporting evidence for "Nor had his team mate matched him in difficult conditions." Which was the original point.

As I said early, I don't think that there are many mid-pack starters that are better than Nick, he seems to do very well with a heavy car and his tactics in messy conditions have yielded a significant % of his overall points in 2008-9. I also think that he is less error prone than Robert, but I just don't see that he can consistently challenge for podiums under normal race conditions. I know that he is the anti-Webber in terms of relative qualifying/race performance, but he has to be able to start a little better in order to have a chance to challenge IMO.

[pettersolberg29]

I still think Heidfeld is a far better wet driver - possibly the best in the field.

But you do make good, honest points and maybe its my blind support of Heidfeld that makes me think he has a shot at the WDC if the diffuser teams are outlawed. I do agree quali is going to have to improve wildly though.

[tintop]

France wasn't a proper wet race at all, nobody considered wet tyres, also the laptimes didn't drop dramatically. It was just a bit damp in some corners, nothing more. In Malaysia 2004 or Austria 2003 some raindrops fell in the beginning too, but who would consider those races as wet races?

Just looked at all of the races that featured rain/variable conditions. The conditions certainly seemed to matter to some:

Renault
As the race developed, both drivers adopted two stop strategies, with Nelson able to run a longer first stint than his teammate. That allowed both men to race competitively in the points paying positions for the whole afternoon, with Fernando and Nelson emerging from their second stops in 7th and 8th places. Those positions were then reversed as a rain shower hit the circuit in the closing stages, which made for an exciting end to the race as Nelson scored his first points in Formula 1.

Toyota
It was an incredible battle in the closing laps but Jarno's very experienced and it was a clean fight, which was good to see. When it started to rain he had to be cautious but he did a fine job to keep Kovalainen behind.


I'll take their word for it that variable conditions existed even if they didn't want to pit at the very end of the Race to pick up inters.

[wedge]

Wet races aren't common. He was destroyed by Kubica last year but needs to at least equal his team mate if he wants to be taken more seriously.

[Ranger]

His team will support him if he doesn't get completely snapped by his team-mate like the whole of last season.

Considering he had entire test days last year to work on his acclimatisation to the car, I don't see how much more BMW can do. He's got to make his own luck.

[stevie_gerrard]

Great result for Nick, he is always one to quietly go along with his business and not take any of the plaudits. He drove brilliantly, and he's making me regret my choice of Kubica in my private fantasy f1 championship team :(

[tintop]

Wet races aren't common.

Ran the numbers, since 1950, looks like roughly one out of 7 GP's have some sort of rain occurrence.

[tintop]

More fun rain facts: Most Rain Events: Spa 14, Nurburgring 10, Monaco 9. Highest % of rain events (8 minimum total events) Mosport 38%, Spa 34%, Nevers - Magney Cours 28%, Nurburgring 27%.

Current Tracks Rain Events %

Melbourne 0%
Sepang 18%
Shanghai 40%
Bahrain 0%
Montmelo 17%
Monte Carlo 16%
Istanbul 0%
Silverstone 17%
Hockenheim 6%
Mogyorod 4%
Valencia 0%
Spa 34%
Monza 3%
Singapore 0%
Mount Fuji 50%
Sao Paulo 23%
Abu Dhabi 0%**

**Educated Guess

[tintop]

Magny Cours, should know to spell it, spent a week learning on the old tired circuit, complete with series of wooden stakes driven into chain-link fencing in the "run-off" and be killed areas.