Renault and Heidfeld formally split
2011 F1 season
Nick Heidfeld, Renault, Nurburgring, 2011
Renault and Nick Heidfeld have formally announced they have parted ways.
A statement released on Friday said the pair had reached “an amicable settlement” and split with immediate effect.
Team principal Eric Boullier said: “Our disagreement with Nick has been the subject of much media coverage lately, and we are pleased to have reached a swift and reasonable solution.
“Our separation process was already a painful one, and neither of us wanted to go through another legal hearing. We’re very grateful to Nick for the highly valuable contribution he’s made to the team. We certainly had good times together, in particular remembering our podium finish in Malaysia.
“He is a very strong and determined racer and we wish him every success in the future.”
Heidfeld said: “Obviously I’m disappointed to be leaving Lotus Renault GP in the middle of the season.
“I thought I could still make a big contribution to the team, but I have to see things as they are and I want to turn my attention to the future. We have taken the right decision by choosing to end our collaboration today.
“I would like to wish all the friends I made at Enstone a successful end to the season. One thing is for sure – I’ll be back racing at the highest level soon.”
Heidfeld joined the team at the start of the season to substitute for the injured Robert Kubica. Heidfeld was replaced by Bruno Senna at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Update: Renault have also announced Bruno Senna will continue to drive for them for the rest of the year
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spursfan39 said on 2nd September 2011, 17:09
He reckons he’ll be back? To be honest, I don’t know what team he could go to now, I don’t see anyone that would want him.
Ben Needham (@ben-n) said on 2nd September 2011, 17:15
Perhaps Team Lotus if Trulli is demoted to tester or similar… although they don’t need the experience with the two they have already… Maybe HRT…
But I thought Nick wanted to drive at the front. Williams?
ed24f1 (@ed24f1) said on 2nd September 2011, 17:24
Yeah, I agree, Williams and Lotus are his only chances.
I don’t think he’ll get enough money to drive for HRT.
Klaas said on 3rd September 2011, 7:12
What about Virgin? They could use an experienced driver to help develop their car.
spursfan39 (@) said on 2nd September 2011, 17:25
I can’t see Heidfeld going to HRT, and can’t see him at Lotus, as they have Trulli & Kovalainen. If Trulli was to be dropped or retire, I’d imagine them bringing in a young driver. And I can’t see him back at Williams, as they’re edging towards pay drivers, and Barrichello will probably stay another year. He’ll probably end up in DTM I think.
Mike said on 3rd September 2011, 7:09
I think if Trulli was going to leave we’d have heard it already this year.
At some points early on he was visibly unhappy with the car, and not enjoying racing. However, that seems to have changed now.
BasCB (@bascb) said on 2nd September 2011, 23:12
Well, DTM can be considered top level racing as well, can’t it?
montreal95 (@montreal95) said on 3rd September 2011, 1:05
Yes, it’s definitely the top touring car series in the world, what with WTCC being rubbish.
Off@Turn1 (@offturn1) said on 2nd September 2011, 17:10
In other words Team Genii have coughed up some readies to Nick who has decided to cut’n'run instead of push it further!
slr said on 2nd September 2011, 17:11
If this is the end of Heidfeld’s Formula One career, then I’m sorry to see him go out in this way.
joey-poey said on 2nd September 2011, 18:23
I feel the same. I’ve never been a huge fan of his, but this is just a crummy way to end a career.
Ned Flanders (@ned-flanders) said on 2nd September 2011, 17:15
Presumably he’s referring to F1? I can’t see that, unfortunately. I’d argue that he’s still good enough for a drive in a midfield team, but so many of his competitors for these seats bring money that it’ll be difficult for him to get a look in.
craig-o (@craig-o) said on 2nd September 2011, 17:17
Could join Barrichello at Williams? That would make sense
slr said on 2nd September 2011, 17:19
If Williams were to employ Heidfeld, they’d get rid of Barrichello, and pair Nick up with someone who has some who has money on them (i.e. Maldonado).
Fixy (@fixy) said on 2nd September 2011, 19:02
Why swap an expert driver for another expert driver?
Ben Needham (@ben-n) said on 2nd September 2011, 17:24
Perhaps Williams, but I feel your joining Barrichello quote is far of the mark. Williams are rumoured to be in financial difficulty so if a driver leaves Williams it will surely by Barrichello before Maldonado.
Mike said on 3rd September 2011, 7:11
The only problem there is, I can’t see Heidfeld bringing a significant performance boost and Rubens would drive for nothing if it meant he was in F1. I doubt Nick would match that.
BasCB (@bascb) said on 2nd September 2011, 23:15
He might rather be joined by Rubens as being a former F1 driver next year.
Williams has trouble paying Rubens a salary, no way can they afford to pay 2 drivers. Instead they will surely be looking to replace Rubens with a young driver showing some promise and a pot of cash to go with them.
Its not as if either Rubens or Nick is going to achieve anything in a Williams that will be battling the back pack next year.
Ben Needham (@ben-n) said on 2nd September 2011, 17:18
If people argue that there is no space in F1 for people like Schumacher and Barrichello who have had varied but good success in the sport – then there is no space for Heidfeld. I feel that things could have gone very differently for him if he had won a race in 2008 (perhaps Canada).
Sandlefish (@sandlefish) said on 2nd September 2011, 17:21
Recent rumblings make me feel the Barrichello-Williams relationship may or may not continue into 2012. If he goes then Heidfeld is surely a good replacement.
As for the second driver, Maldonado may stay but if PDVSA’s cash isn’t tied to him remaining is it possible van der Garde could get a seat? Or perhaps Boullier would be willing to push Sir Frank some cash in return for Grosjean having a ride?
K said on 2nd September 2011, 21:51
“Recent rumblings make me feel the Barrichello-Williams relationship may or may not continue into 2012.”
The alternative being?
raymondu999 (@raymondu999) said on 2nd September 2011, 17:22
I wasn’t aware that DTM was considered top level
snowman said on 2nd September 2011, 19:04
Ya, he obviously meant NASCAR lol
raymondu999 (@raymondu999) said on 3rd September 2011, 0:44
Actually DTM is quite high in terms of touring cars come to think of it. And certainly should be placed higher than NASCAR
J.C. Bron said on 3rd September 2011, 9:46
DTM (= 14 slow cars)is hardly considered top-level now. It’s entertainment value and the quality of the cars lags far behind Super-GT. DTM is to Formula 1 drivers as the Qatar Star League for football players. A place to pick up that last bag of cash when you’re far past your prime. A place to retire.
BasCB (@bascb) said on 3rd September 2011, 10:48
Paul di Resta tells us differently.
Dizzy-A (@david-a) said on 3rd September 2011, 13:24
BasCB has batted that post out of the ballpark.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) said on 2nd September 2011, 17:28
Senna to stay at Renault throughout 2011
javlinsharp said on 2nd September 2011, 17:39
IMHO I never really saw the top level skill from Nick. Back in the BMW days, he was never a challenge for his teammate. He had a little something for this much less experienced colleuge at Renault, but this is the least that should be expected. To me, NH never showed any unique quality that made him superior. Just an “also ran”.
Tom L. said on 2nd September 2011, 17:44
Then how do you explain his points tally against Kubica over their three-and-a-bit seasons together?
M.M.C (@mmc) said on 2nd September 2011, 19:47
Points don’t necessarily show the true story.
slr said on 2nd September 2011, 22:24
It’s still fair to say that Heidfeld outperformed Kubica overall during their years as team-mates.
bigredbears10 (@bigredbears10) said on 2nd September 2011, 23:16
They do, if points determine money… which they do.
Ben Curly (@ben-curly) said on 3rd September 2011, 1:32
The points won’t tell you what happened during the race, who was lucky, who had a mechanical problem, who was stuck behind a slower driver, who had a great pace, who showed us some overtaking skills, who had a terrible pit stop etc.
In F1 points alone won’t tell you who’s a better driver. It’s a complex sport and there are more variables, than just a man behind the wheel.
BasCB (@bascb) said on 2nd September 2011, 23:18
That’s not true, he has almost always been just that little bit in front of his team mate (as he was in front of Petrov now).
Only problem is, he was just a bit in front of them regardless if it was against Kimi, Kubica or a burnt out JV.
Hallard (@hallard) said on 3rd September 2011, 1:03
So…Heidfeld to replace Webber at red bull? Maybe he could end up just a bit in front of Vettel… ;-)
BasCB (@bascb) said on 3rd September 2011, 10:48
Would be funny to see that happening, wouldn’t it!
TED BELL said on 2nd September 2011, 17:51
NICK HEIDFELD….Another name for the history book of those who drove in Formula One.
Fixy (@fixy) said on 2nd September 2011, 18:56
Yes, but that is such since his debut in the 2000 Australian GP ;)
Chris Goldsmith said on 2nd September 2011, 17:53
I do feel bad for ‘Quick Nick’. Feel like all he really needed was a really good car under him and he could have elevated himself in the way that Button has managed over the past few years. Sadly the history of F1 is littered with drivers who have slogged their guts out and somehow managed never to achieve their full potential. He’s a nice guy and it doesn’t feel like this is the right way for him to have to exit the sport. Realistically though, it’s unlikely any other team is going to want him now.
I said at the start of the season that I thought Senna should have been given Kubica’s car, rather than Heidfeld, on the basis that we had basically already seen what Heidfeld was likely to achieve – a solid, if unremarkable season, picking up points and making a reasonable contribution to the development and setup of the car. Even by those fairly low expectations it doesn’t sound like he really delivered an awful lot. Senna by contrast, despite being an unknown quantity, I saw as a driver who had the potential to deliver something surprising. Looks like he’s going to get that opportunity after all, and I’m really stoked for him. I can see Senna getting an electric reception at the Brazillian GP. While this is obviously a sad end to Heidfeld’s GP career, it might just be the start of a remarkable new one.
Adam Tate (@adam-tate) said on 2nd September 2011, 23:27
I felt all along that Renault should have signed Heidfeld to partner Kubica in the first place. Then, when Kubica had his accident, Heidfeld would have naturally stepped up to team leader status as he would have already been fully integrated into the team. Then they could have brought Petrov in this season.
After Massa and Raikkonen at Ferrari, and Hamilton and Button at McLaren; Kubica and Heidfeld at BMW had the most amiable and productive partnership in recent years.
OmarR-Pepper (@omarr-pepper) said on 2nd September 2011, 17:57
HRT needs some money Nick, despite that team is not exactly on the top level
racelitze (@racelitze) said on 2nd September 2011, 18:29
About how much money are we speaking when saying a driver is coming with a huge sponsor in his back into a team – I really cant figure it out that it has such an importance to the finances of a team.
10 Millions? 50???
*curious*
Klaas said on 3rd September 2011, 7:22
I read somewhere that Jose Maria Lopez, the driver that never got to drive for USF1 had to bring 10 million dollars in order to get the seat. This might be a petty sum for bigshots like McLaren and Ferrari but for small teams every buck is important. Why do you think that along with the new teams so many pay drivers arrived in F1?
BasCB (@bascb) said on 3rd September 2011, 10:51
Although the exact amount of money Venezuela brings Williams is not known, its in the range of 21-29 million year, dependant on the amount of coverage on the car.
That is a really big deal. Otherwise its in the range of about 2-10 million mostly.
thescottwilkes (@thescottwilkes) said on 2nd September 2011, 18:39
Oh well. Too many hangers-on still.
Hope Lotus find someone to replace Jarno Trulli, and Williams get rid of Rubens.
(Not mentioning Schumi, I love Schumi)
Alky said on 2nd September 2011, 21:43
I read somewhere when he signed with williams that he was thought to be bringing $20 million to team and that their budget (before that) was around $80 million.
I’m not sure how much truth there is to that though. I would definitely like to know more about the teams’ finances and what the pay drivers contribute.
I haven’t even seen any articles in a very long time that tried to estimate team budgets.
Fixy (@fixy) said on 2nd September 2011, 18:41
Future? Not in F1, Renault, you’ve sent him into retirement early.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner) said on 3rd September 2011, 19:56
I think he’s being doing that to himself for a couple of years now.
Fixy (@fixy) said on 2nd September 2011, 18:46
Kubica was right, Liuzzi was to choose over Heidfeld! He wouldn’t have let down!
If Nick was capable of a podium, Liuzzi would now be a two-times winner, at least.
M.M.C (@mmc) said on 2nd September 2011, 19:44
Sarcasm fails over the Internet. P: