UpdateF1 >> Formula 1 News > Heidfeld to stay at BMW?

Nick stakes claim to seat

Sep.8 (GMM) Nick Heidfeld did his chances of retaining his BMW-Sauber race seat for 2009 no harm with his performance at Spa-Francorchamps, team boss Mario Theissen admits.

After a dismal outing at Valencia two weeks earlier, the 31-year-old German bounced back in style in Belgium.

His performance was strong all weekend at the famous venue, but the inspired decision to switch to wet tyres two laps from the end gave him the grip to drive around his rivals and race to the podium.

Rumours abound that BMW is considering giving Robert Kubica, who is understood to have signed a new one-year contract, a new teammate for 2009.

But with the regulations set to drastically change, Theissen agrees that is a strong reason to retain as much stability as possible in other areas.

Moreover, Fernando Alonso aside, it is not clear from where on the current driver market the Hinwil based team might source an obviously better alternative for 2009.

Theissen told reporters in Belgium that he has delayed the decision about finalising the team's next lineup.

He also hailed Heidfeld's race, particularly the decision to switch to wets.

"It tells you something about racecraft and about racing experience to judge a situation like this within a few seconds," Theissen said.

Referring to the possibility of retaining Heidfeld, meanwhile, the German added: "We won't have technical stability next year and stability is something positive."

Written: Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:59:21