BMW Sauber F1 Team
Driver Profile: Nick Heidfeld

Fun, finesse and facial hair.

If you’ve an interview appointment with Nick Heidfeld, you can bet he’ll roll up right on the edge of the time envelope, radiating an imperturbable calm – before turning his attention one hundred percent to his interviewer. Whatever this man does, he does well. He has his dream career and he carries it off with passion and success. “It’s always been that way,” he says, dismissing the claims that he had undergone some significant change last year. “The difference is that, ever since I’ve been driving for a team for whom I can earn points in every race I’ve been attracting more attention. If you’re driving around in 17th place nobody notices whether you shave or not.”

His beard and shaggy hair almost drew more media coverage in 2007 than his second-placed finish at the Canadian Grand Prix or third place in Hungary. Indeed, the hirsute element was like an invitation to take a closer look at this man – and the Mönchengladbach-born driver goes along with that. He talks about himself, stands by his convictions, and has no need to defend himself. He cohabits with his partner Patricia Papen. Their daughter is called Juni because her parents like the name – the same reason why they called their son, born in 2007, Joda. No, it has nothing to do with the Star Wars character, the proud father patiently explains.

For Nick Heidfeld freedom is one cherished value. That goes for his thinking as much as for his way of life. He knows how to turn his demanding career to his best benefit. He takes his family with him when he travels, he is curious about places, likes to stroll around buying fashion articles and art, takes in as much of the world as he can in between his commitments, and always keeps his eyes peeled for good restaurants. He is a gourmet and a pleasure-lover, and parties for all he’s worth. But only after he has done his work.

He is a demanding driver in the best sense of the word, and he won’t rest until the very last batch of data has been evaluated. He knows that what he says counts. That’s because he has learnt his trade.

Size just doesn't matter
Not yet five, he would race his brothers Sven and Tim in Motocross. His parents, Angelika and Wolfgang, lived a fast, fun-filled life with their sons. “I had a wonderful childhood,” says “Quick Nick”, who still loves to bring his parents and siblings with him to the race track. Even his grandmother comes along from time to time. Nick is the smallest of the Heidfeld clan at 1.67 metres. “If I had designed myself, I would have made myself a bit bigger,” he admits, but in motor sport it was always an advantage being small.”

Almost always. It was a long haul before he reached the minimum height to be able to ride hire karts. When he finally got there, he immediately left his father trailing at the Nürburgring kart track. At the age of eight he was given his first kart and began entering club championships in Kerpen-Manheim, races at national level and European and World Championship events.

In formula racing the triumphs were not long in coming either. At 17, Nick won the German Formula Ford 1600 Championship after taking eight wins in nine races. A year later he claimed the title in Formula Ford 1800. In 1996, aged 19, he was the youngest driver on the grid of German Formula 3. It was a strong debut with three wins and third place overall.

He also claimed a pole position and a race win in the Formula 3 World Final on the challenging Macau street circuit, which remains his favourite track to this day, as well as third place in Formula 3’s showdown in Zandvoort.

Pressure: a constant companion.
It was in 1997 that Heidfeld got his first taste of the pressures of being in the public eye. His first Formula One test drive with McLaren Mercedes had aroused interest and before the season even got underway he was already being heralded as the forthcoming Formula 3 champion. Indeed, Heidfeld secured a commanding championship title with five wins, including the prestigious Formula 3 Grand Prix in Monaco.

In 1998 and 1999 he continued along his path in International Formula 3000. After three wins to finish as championship runner-up in the first year, the second saw him dominate and claim four wins to secure the title. In parallel with this he was testing for Formula One.

In 2000 he gained his first driver’s contract in motorsport’s crowning discipline, though the prospects for the new team established by Alain Prost were far from promising. When he joined Peter Sauber’s team in 2001, his team-mate was to be Kimi Räikkönen. In 2002 it was Felipe Massa. He surpassed both of them – and learnt how to live with the inevitable comparisons newcomers were subjected to: “If you’re faster than some wunderkind, it’s normal. If you’re slower, you’re an idiot. It’s a no-win situation, so you just have to carry on working in a focused way.”

He claimed his first podium place for Sauber at the 2001 Brazil Grand Prix. He drove for the team for three years. “It was a good time,” recalls Heidfeld, who had swapped his Monaco apartment for a house in Stäfa, Switzerland at the time. “Built in the middle of the 19th century and restored using traditional craftsmanship,” he points out. But that doesn’t mean you’ll find a pair of stag’s antlers hanging above the fireplace.

Paintings by Patricia, other artworks and a modern interior create striking contrasts. There’s also a gym, and the surroundings are ideal for outdoor sports. Whether it’s cycling, water sports on Lake Zurich, tennis or golf, Heidfeld loves variety and does not pursue one sporting discipline exclusively. And when the mist descends over the lake in autumn and winter, he’s glad to be a short 20-minute drive away from the bright lights of Zurich.

Since 2005 he has been able to spend the winter knowing at the outset where his career would take him the following. That wasn’t always the case. When his contract with Sauber was not renewed at the end of 2003 he just managed to climb on board with Jordan at a late stage. One winter on and he was battling for a place in the BMW WilliamsF1 Team in a shootout with Antonio Pizzonia that went on for months. Not until the January presentation did Team Principal, Frank Williams, tell him that the decision had been made in his favour.

Making his mark in 2005.
In 2005 Heidfeld put himself on the map in the Williams with strong races, bold passing manoeuvres, a pole position, three podium places and his analytical work with the engineers. While an accident during testing in Monza in August, caused by a broken wheel suspension, and a subsequent cycling accident meant a premature end to the season for him, Mario Theissen had already earmarked him as the driver of choice for the new BMW Sauber F1 Team.

“I’m in this project body and soul,” says Heidfeld. “Each new team comes along with a five-year plan and wants to be world champion at the end of it. In 2006 and 2007, in parallel with the team’s development work, we managed to exceed our targets. We’re on the right path and we’re a good team.”

The man who has adopted Switzerland as his home, who launched surprise attacks to snatch wins and titles in all his earlier race series and who never thought he would last so long in Formula one, is nothing if not realistic: “Even if we shave off a few tenths of a second during winter, we will only be closer to Ferrari and McLaren but a long way from overtaking them. And who knows what kind of catching-up work we’ll see from the teams who could have done better in 2007. The hard slog is still to come, and it’s only when the going gets tough that you find out how well you really pull together as a team.”

Of one thing he has no doubt, though: he will be ready when the BMW Sauber F1 Team gets there. He wants to be Formula One World Champion.

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