By BMWF1Talk
March 18 2009

Interview translated by AFCA

Q: As an art lover, in which art movement do you classify the new Formula 1 ?
Heidfeld (laughs) : ''From an optical point of view it's certainly not for the better. Nevertheless, I'm very satisfied with our tests. The only thing that's a shame is that we can't have any more of them. But you should always see things in comparison with the others: they can't drive any more than we did and will go into the season in an equally prepared way.''

Q: In what way do you feel you haven't tested enough ?
Heidfeld: ''I would have prefered playing with the set-up a bit more. You have a certain test programme. The normal set-up work falls a bit behind there. But luckily we were able to 'squeeze in' some things on my finale day of testing.''

Q: What do you see as 'normal set-up work' then ?
Heidfeld: ''Simply finding out how the car reacts to certain changes. Soft or hard springs, different weight balance. They are changes of which you theoratically know what effect they'll have.''

Q: What's the basic set-up like ?
Heidfeld: ''We've found one, but haven't tested it in every area. But during testing you could see that there was no track where we were completely off target.''

Q: Is that the biggest difference compared to your 2008 preparation ? Things didn't look too good back then ?
Heidfeld: ''That's at least a big difference. The second difference is KERS, we still haven't decided whether or not we'll use it. The reliability of the device is no longer a problem but we have to be certain that it brings an advantage.''

Q: How did you go about KERS during testing ? Was it always built in ? Was it sometimes in the car but not switched on ?
Heidfeld: ''When it was in the car it was almost always switched on. You can't simply say: you have more power so you're faster. The way you handle the new tyres and the weight distribution is very important.''

Q: Is that why you also completely dismantled it when you didn't want to have it switched on ? To see how that affects the weight distribution ? Can you notice the difference whilst driving ?
Heidfeld: ''The difference is noticeable. With slicks the car generally tends to oversteer more than with grooved tyres. It helps to shift weight to the front to make the car more stable.''

Q: Do you feel the power when you hit the KERS button ?
Heidfeld: ''You notice the additional speed. But it's not dramatical. We're talking about 80 bhp, there's not a sudden blow in your back. But you can see (the effect) when you hit the button and someone else doesn't, or when someone comes along who has just activated KERS.''

Q: When do you use the additional power ?
Heidfeld: ''Mostly on long straights, starting from the lowest speed possible. But not that low that you get spinning tyres problems with the traction and.''

Q: The power can be activated when you hit a speed of 100 km/h. At which speed do you really use it ?
Heidfeld: ''You usually hit the button when you shift to third gear. So at a speed of around 140 km/h. Before that we don't have enough grip and the rear tyres will spin. Then you ruin the tyres and you actually become slower because you have no grip.''

Q: Is it not surprising that you still don't know whether you'll use the system or not. Especially for a light-weight driver like you...
Heidfeld: ''As a light weight driver you have an advantage, that's why many drivers are losing weight now. But that doesn't mean that you'll actually be using it on each track. In Bahrain it makes a lot more sense than in Monaco. We must evaluate all the data from testing accurately to see wheter or not KERS brings an advantage or not. Only then we will decide whether we'll use it.''

Q: In the winter there were voices saying that KERS is your big chance to show that you're good enough after all and that you're not overrating yourself. How do you see that ?
Heidfeld: ''I've never heard anyone saying that I overrate myself. No one ever told me that. But then saying that face to face is something different.''

Q: Nevertheless: is KERS really your sheet anchor, will it allow you to win races and even the title ?
Heidfeld: ''Not even a working KERS alone will be enough to win the title. Because you don't gain 0.5 seconds with it. If there's a chance to gain only a hundreth of a second then you take it. But to become worldchampion the famous 'entire package' must be right. Last year I had a problem with the tyres. This year they're new and you had to quickly find out how they work. At the same time we might need the same reliability as last year, eventhough you certainly can't expect to have a year without failures. And the car should be right aerodynamically and mechanically as well. I can't really judge where we are in that respect. That hasn't really become clear during testing either. But I'm happy that we've put a decent B car on the road this winter.''

Q: What did that interim car bring you ?
Heidfeld: ''We could learn some things with it in some areas: what the balance feels like generally, what to keep an eye on set-up wise. We had a head start because the others kept simulating the 2009 downforce levels with 2008 aerodynamics. But we we were already working with 2009 front and rear wings at that stage.''

Q: But so did Williams and Honda...
Heidfeld: ''But they weren't as early as us. And we were the only ones that always used the 2009 front and rear wing at the same time. At least for a B car it was very developed.''

Q: Can you compare the handling of the B car with the current car ?
Heidfeld: ''It's similar. But the new car is clearly better. It has a lot more grip.

Q: What impression do you have on where you are after your final test in Barcelona ?
Heidfeld: ''The fact that I've been on top of the time sheets two times is certainly a good sign. But (at the same time - AFCA) I don't read too much into that either because I don't know what the others have been doing on those days.''

Q: Surely you try to calculate how much fuel the others have been driving with to then relate this to your own performance ?
Heidfeld: ''We do try that. But it's never completely accurate, it are only indications. I can tell you my personal impression of things: Ferrari is strong, closely followed by Red Bull. Then I'm anxious to know more about Toro Rosso because their car looks very similar to the Red Bull. So it could be that both of them will be running around at the front. Brawn GP was also very strong during its first outting. Toyota seems to have a good and very reliable car. Williams was more impressive at the start of testing than they were at last. Renault is difficult to understand because they were never running around long enough to know how much fuel they had in the car. McLaren made a step forward in Barcelona but still wasn't where you expect them to be. But if there's on team that can make progress quickly, then it's McLaren. And McLaren has another four days of testing at Jerez...

Q: And where do you see yourself ?
Heidfeld: ''I prefer not to respond to that one.''

Q: A great drawback in 2008 was the accurateness of development. Will that be better in 2009 ?
Heidfeld: ''I hope so, I have a good feeling about it. So far BMW Sauber has always learnt from mistakes and never made the same mistake twice. As is BMW Sauber's style: problems are analysed objectively and then conclusions are drawn.''

Q: You were very hopeful with the return of slicks. Was this justified ?
Heidfeld: ''My theory was that it would help me. There's no driver that says he's not happy with the return of slicks. You would think that slicks heat up more quickly than grooved tyres. But that actually depends on what Bridgestone supplies you with. We've seen that once again there've been problems heating up the tyres. Not just for me, but fortunately for a lot of drivers. But personally I have the impression that things are going better than last year around this time.''

Q: So the 2008 tyre problems are behind you now ?
Heidfeld: ''At the moment things at least don't look worse.''

Q: Recently two big German papers had the headlines: 'Nick Heidfeld wants to become worldchampion in 2009.'
Heidfeld: ''It's my aim to become worldchampion. That's the aim of every driver in F1. But I'm not too daft to say: 'This year I'll be worldchampion.' I only say: 'When our car is good then I'm confident I can become worldchampion.'''

Q: Be honest: is the 2009 season, with slicks and KERS, your final chance to do away with the prejudice that you're slower than Kubica and can't win races ?
Heidfeld: ''I would obviously never say it like that. I will try to become worldchampion for as long as I can.''