Heidfeld has taken part in 172 races since he debuted with Prost Grand Prix in 2000 and at a time when Renault need experience, Heidfeld was available. Over last weekend, Renault conducted a side-by-side test between Heidfeld and Renault reserve ace, Bruno Senna, with even Senna admitting over the weekend that his inexperience may leave him on the sidelines.
There is no doubt that Heidfeld’s young teammate Vitaly Petrov is also rather quick when he is on it, but given Petrov’s lack of experience, Renault could really need someone with years on the clock. This is of course the issue of the Enstone-based team having a very real shot of 4th in the Constructor’s Championship, should they level up with Mercedes this year.
In the meantime, here are some Nick Heidfeld fun time stats to muse about during this year’s Grand Prix:
- At 172 starts (174 race entries), Heidfeld has most points without a win;
- With 12 podiums, ‘Quick Nick’ shares most podium finishes without actually making the top step – he shares this record with former-McLaren, Ferrari and Tyrrell legend, Stefan Johansson;
- His eight second places means Heidfeld has achieved the most amount of runner-up spots without a victory;
- At 41 races, the former Sauber man holds the record for most consecutive race classifications, ended by an Adrian Sutil brainfade during the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix.
