Nick Heidfeld is to move to sportscar racing for the 2012 season after his options in F1 all but evaporated.
The German joined the
Renault team last season as a replacement for the injured
Robert Kubica but was then replaced himself by Bruno Senna before the end of the campaign.
With no opportunity to secure a place on the grid for this season, and with limited options available for a test and reserve driver, Heidfeld now looks set to make a switch into sportscar competition with a run in the Le Mans 24 hours.
According to
Speed TV, Heidfeld has agreed a deal which will see him join the Rebellion Racing team for the season ahead – taking part in the races at Sebring, Spa and Le Mans as part of the team's World Endurance Championship programme.
The team confirmed its entry into the full WEC last week with a pair of Lola-Toyotas, with Neel Jani, Nicolas Prost, Andrea Belicchi and Harold Primat named as drivers.
That leaves two vacancies within the team, with
Speed reporting that Heidfeld's deal could be confirmed as early as next week.
