Guest Author - Christine Blachford

Name: Nick Heidfeld
Date of Birth: 10th May 1977
Place of Birth: Mönchengladbach, Germany
F1 Debut: Australia 2000

Heidfeld is coming up to a decade in Formula 1 but has yet to score his first win. He's one of the quiet ones in the paddock, and although his nickname is Quick Nick, he is better known as being consistent rather than fast. To see Heidfeld bringing his BMW home in fourth would not surprise anyone. However, with such experience behind him, Heidfeld must be hoping to move on to some success now.

He started his motorsport career as most drivers do, karting. He moved on to Formula Ford and Formula Three before getting his F1 debut drive with Prost. He spent a lot of time at the back of the grid, moving on to Sauber and Jordan, with a lot of retirements under his belt.

In 2005, he moved up to BMW-Williams, and almost instantly scored two podiums in a row. The results were starting to come in, and he also picked up his first pole position during the year. Unfortunately, he had to sit out the last four races, after picking up some injuries in testing.

When BMW split from Williams in 2006, they took Nick with them and teamed him with ex-F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve and current racer Robert Kubica. The team and Nick's results have gradually improved through the three years they've been on the grid. In 2008, Heidfeld finished every single race of the season, which is an impressive statistic. BMW secured their first win during the year as well, which saw Kubica stand on the top step of the podium, with Heidfeld stuck in second. He was very gracious about his teammate getting the win, but did admit that it was difficult for him to know he missed out on both his and BMW's maiden win.

Heidfeld has a good reputation for strong, consistent racing, so for the new season, he will be hoping to add some more trophies to his cabinet. Perhaps he needs to be a more visible part of Formula 1, and make his voice heard. Then again, his quiet and understated way of working has got him this far, and maybe it will take him the next step.