Nick Lars Heidfeld (born 10 May 1977) is a German professional racing driver. Despite scoring regular podium finishes in 2005 with Williams, and in 2007 and 2008 with BMW Sauber, Heidfeld never won a race after debuting in Formula One in 2000. Heidfeld currently holds three Formula One records; most podium finishes without a Grand Prix win (13), most second-place finishes without a win (8), and the most consecutive race classifications (41). In 2011, Heidfeld raced in Formula One for the Renault team as a replacement for the injured Robert Kubica, his former BMW Sauber teammate, before being replaced by Bruno Senna. He currently drives for the Rebellion Racing team in the FIA World Endurance Championship and for Mahindra Racing Formula E Team in Formula E.

Early life and career

Heidfeld was born in Mönchengladbach, West Germany, on 10 May 1977, and began racing karts at the age of 11 in 1988. In 1994 he moved into the German Formula Ford series, gaining widespread attention by winning 8 of the 9 races to take the title that season. In 1995 he won the German International Formula Ford 1800 Championship, and came second in the Zetec Cup. This led to a drive in the German Formula Three Championship for 1996, where he finished third overall, after taking 3 wins. He entered the end of the season Macau Grand Prix and won the first heat of the race, attracting the attention of compatriot Norbert Haug, who later signed him up for the West Competition team.

Junior career

The following year Heidfeld won the German F3 Championship for Bertram Schäfer Racing, with support from McLaren/West, including a win at the Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race.