Pedro Rosa out- Nick Heidfeld confirmed with Sauber for rest of the season
Team Sauber has confirmed the replacement of Pedro de la Rosa with Nick Heidfeld as one of its full-time drivers for the rest of the 2010 season. Nick will begin racing with the team at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Earlier, there were many rumors regarding this issue circulating the Monza paddock but Peter Sauber had refused to comment on them. But, it has now been confirmed that Heidfeld will be teaming alongside Kamui Kobayashi for the remainder of the season.
“It was a hard decision for me to make and I want to thank Pedro for his professionalism. By signing Nick, we have a driver we know extremely well who will help us further judge the comparative potential of our car”, said the team boss Sauber.
The German driver has already been part of the team for seven years now during his 11-year career. He had taken the responsibility becoming the new test driver for the 2011 tyre suppliers Pirelli after starting his 2010 season as a reserve driver for team Mercedes. This will be a good venture for the 33-year-old as he is the only experienced driver to test the new compound.
“I'm looking forward like crazy to having the opportunity to go racing again in a good car in Formula One from Singapore Grand Prix onwards”, said Heidfeld. Heidfeld is more motivated than ever after the last couple of months and for him, it will not be difficult as he is quite familiar with the team and it is just like coming home.
“Without a doubt I will be feeling at home straight away and this should help me familiarize myself as soon as possible with the car. I want to thank Peter Sauber for the faith he has put in me." Nick Heidfeld signed with team Prost to begin his Formula 1 career in 2000. The German was not able to score a single point in his debut season but managed to impress Sauber, earning him a contract with the team for the following year.
Nick was able to score a podium that year and decided to stay with the team for the next 3 years. He had scored 12 points in his debut season earning him the 8th place in the drivers’ standings. This was his best performance with the team. Nick joined Jordan in 2004 before joining Williams in 2005. After going through some tough time with Jordan, Nick was able to recover with Williams by scoring 3 podiums to score 28 points and secure 11th place in the drivers’ standings.
He joined BMW Sauber in 2006 to drive for the team until 2009. This was the high point of his career as he was able to give his best performance by scoring 61 points and securing 5th place in the drivers’ standings. After two good seasons with the team, Heidfeld had a disappointing final season in 2009, as he was only able to score 19 points to secure a disappointing 13th place in the standings.
The German driver hopes to perform at his best with Sauber once more. As far as Pirelli goes, Pedro de la Rosa seems to be the most logical replacement for Heidfeld, as he is well experienced. “I am surprised by the team´s decision, but I respect it and would like to wish everyone good luck for the remainder of the season. I still intend to be in Formula 1 for 2011”, Pedro said. Although, Heidfeld’s contract details are not issued yet but it seems that he will be staying with the team for the next year as well.
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