Nick Heidfeld has praised his BMW-Sauber team for helping him to get back on-track in the 2008
Formula 1 World Championship, on the back of his brilliant second place in the rain-lashed British Grand Prix last weekend.
The experienced German has come in for a good deal of criticism for his performances over the first half of the current campaign, prior to
Silverstone being out-qualified by team-mate
Robert Kubica eight-nil, and out-scored 46 points to 28 – with some even suggesting his seat at the Munich and Hinwil-based outfit for 2009 was under threat.
Around the Northants circuit, though, Heidfeld was very much back on-form, getting the better of Kubica in qualifying to line up fifth on the starting grid, and comfortably out-performing the Pole in the race too – pulling off a brace of stunning double passes to flawlessly move up into the runner-up spot, where he would stay all the way to the chequered flag. It was, he admitted, a timely confidence boost.
“It was just brilliant,” he enthused. “Qualifying finally went well again, and in the race everything slotted into place. The team did everything right, and I also avoided making any mistakes.
“It's always satisfying when passing moves come off; winning a head-to-head battle fair and square is as good as it gets. If you can overtake two other guys in the same move twice in the same race, the thrill is that much greater, especially as it was a
Ferrari and a
McLaren I got past on one of those occasions.
“I actually find overtaking easiest in tricky conditions. The differences between the individual drivers are just greater in the rain, and different drivers take different lines through the corners, which naturally helps with overtaking.
“I used to enjoy racing in the rain in my karting days, and then in the various classes up from there as well. The car slides and reacts totally differently, and you have to do everything with much greater sensitivity – steering, braking, accelerating... Getting to grips with all of these factors is so much fun.
