Nick Heidfeld has suggested he may move from BMW Sauber to another unnamed team for next season as he seeks a more competitive car. The 32-year-old’s options are unclear but his words could start the annual ‘silly season’, where drivers play musical chairs for the most competitive seats.
‘I am talking with several teams – not just BMW,” Heidfeld told Eurosport.
The German has had a lacklustre season up to this point, mainly attributable to the lack of pace in his BMW Sauber F1.09. He is ahead of highly-rated team-mate Robert Kubica in the standings, even though many consider Kubica to have been more impressive.
Heidfeld stated that he was looking for a fast car so that he could eventually become world champion, just like he has always dreamed.
“I still want to be world champion,” explained Heidfeld, “even if it only happens when I am 40. If you look at the past few years, drivers are staying until they are 38, 39, so I have a few years still in front of me.’
The problem with Heidfeld’s analysis is that the younger generation – drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Kubica – are normally the ones making the headlines these days. Rubens Barrichello’s inability to challenge Jenson Button for dominance in the Brawn team could be taken as evidence that after the mid-thirties, chances of winning the world championship drastically decrease.
