Defending Nick Heidfeld 11/05/2009 It is no secret that I rate Nick Heidfeld very highly and would dearly love to see him win a GP. But this is not a fan site and I try not to let my preferences influence my view of the races. A large part of that has been restraining my urge to point out Nick's qualities at every opportunity and to go easy on my excuses for him when he has a bad race.Nick and KimiBut the Spanish GP produced so typical a gritty performance from the man that I can resist no longer. The last time I wrote a piece dealing with Nick exclusively was in September of last year and so I think I may be forgiven for returning to the subject once again.The Barcelona race highlighted one of Nick's strengths that is often forgotten - his ability to defend a place against faster cars. It is not a flashy quality that establishes a driver's reputation but it becomes much more important this season as cars equipped with KERS prove to have an advantage in both attack and defense. Last Sunday, Nick gave a master class on how to keep a KERS car behind you, a lesson so relevant that other bloggers, too, have been moved to mention it.Nick made a good start in Barcelona and was fortunate to be just ahead of the second corner accident that took out four cars. The result was that he found himself in ninth spot at the end of the first lap. Raikkonen, too, had gained several places in the beginning and he was soon on the BMW's tail, looking for a way past.Much of the ensuing battle was shown in the television broadcast but there was only one view given of Nick's skill in holding back the Ferrari at the place where its advantage was greatest - the main straight. In that shot we saw Nick staying resolutely on the inside for the corner at the end of the straight, not attempting to block by changing direction in the slightest.The message was clear: "You may try to pass if you wish but you will have to do so on the outside of the corner." In spite of his car advantage, Kimi was never in a position to take up the challenge and his race ended when the Ferrari gave up the ghost on lap 17, still trapped behind the BMW.It seems obvious but I have seen other drivers give up the inside line in an attempt to block a faster car. Even the highly regarded Kimi, still touted in some quarters as the fastest of them all, has made this mistake in the past - the famous pass on him by Hamilton in Spa last year was a typical example.In both qualifying and the race, Massa demonstrated that the Ferrari was the third quickest car in Spain; the BMW was about sixth, judging by Kubica's grid position. It may be difficult to pass in Barcelona but both Webber and Alonso showed that it was not impossible, even in cars much closer in performance than the Ferrari and BMW. The conclusion has to be that Nick is a hard man to overtake and one of the best at defense.As I have mentioned, defending is not the most charismatic of the weapons available to the F1 driver. Indeed, it can have a negative effect on one's reputation, another exponent of the art, Jarno Trulli, being famous mainly for his invention of "the Trulli train". But there are times when it becomes supremely important, as in Gilles Villeneuve's celebrated victory in the Spanish GP of 1981 and Ayrton Senna's win at Monaco in 1993.Of course, being able to defend is not sufficient to make a great driver. But I have written about Heidfeld's ability in other areas often enough in the past and I will not repeat myself this time. It is sufficient to point out that Villeneuve's and Senna's most famous defensive races came in seasons when they had cars that were far from the best; the BMW F1.09 is also nowhere near the class of the field this year and so Nick's defensive ability becomes doubly important to the team. And Barcelona 2009 was an excellent example of how good he really is.
Clive
Steven Roy Driving to defend is an unappreciated skill. Lewis Hamilton came out of one of his pit stops and drove a brilliant defensive lap with someone's car all over the back of him to the point that he was practically surrounded. After a lap Lewis's tyres were up to temperature and he was able to keep a position that most drivers would have lost. Date Added: 11/05/2009
Clive I remember the incident you refer to, Steven. It is certainly true that Hamilton knows how to defend as well as attack. The guy has it all really, doesn't he? Date Added: 12/05/2009
Peter Boyle except a car... Date Added: 12/05/2009
Clive Oh, that'll fix itself soon enough, Peter. McLaren are never down for long. Date Added: 12/05/2009
Journeyer "Oh, that'll fix itself soon enough, Peter. McLaren are never down for long."But they are down for the year, though. Race wins may still be there for them, but the championship is out of the picture.Getting lapped by Button couldn't have helped his morale, either. Date Added: 12/05/2009
Mike I love Nick Heidfeld too, have done ever since his Sauber days, but I should point out that Kimi's KERS wasn't working and maybe (only maybe), the situation would have been different if it was. Date Added: 12/05/2009
Bluray Not taking anything away from Quick Nick and his racing prowess, but was Kimi using KERS? I remember the commentators saying that it was not working in his car which was also seen in the on-screen graphics. Date Added: 12/05/2009
Clive Journeyer: True enough but right now I think the team would take anything they can get! Date Added: 12/05/2009
Clive Mike and Bluray: There has been some discussion on the KERS graphics on other sites and it seems they weren't working - the graphics, that is, not KERS. Kimi was asked after his retirement whether he had experienced a problem with his KERS and he said that it was fine and he had used it throughout the race. Date Added: 12/05/2009
Nick Goodspeed Clive: ...and as we all know all racing drivers, except, of course, Hamilton, always tell the truth!!! ;-) Date Added: 12/05/2009
Clive Of course, Nick, that goes without saying. ;)But in this particular instance, it would seem a bit strange for Kimi to lie. A KERS failure would be the perfect excuse for not being able to pass Heidfeld, after all, but he did not use it. Date Added: 12/05/2009
Nick Goodspeed Clive: It is my guess thyat even Kimi must, at some point, give in to the Ferrari propagandists. If told to shut up or else the car is substandard, Kimi will likely shut up. Date Added: 12/05/2009
Clive In fact, Nick, I can think of occasions where Kimi has indeed covered for Ferrari mechanical failures. But this time it would have been a bit like bolting the stable door after the horse has bolted - it was no secret that his car had just died from hydraulic failure on lap 17.Add to that the fact that no one else's KERS graphic was working during the race and I think it is safe to assume that Kimi was not lying. Date Added: 12/05/2009
glamourBob Well, if you're a Heidfeld fan than I guess it's no surprise you have slim pickings to boast about this year. But c'mon, keeping a car behind you at Catalunya is as easy as pie, it's a track perhaps only second to Monaco in that it's almost impossible to pass on. Bless you, but try again. Date Added: 14/05/2009
Clive As easy as pie, huh, Bob? Funny - some people didn't manage it, Alonso for one. And KERS has changed things in that it gives a big advantage in overtaking.As for slim pickings, I could mention Nick's second place in Malaysia but no doubt that wouldn't impress you. You see, Bob, anyone can support the guys who happen to be winning but what is clever about that? Much better to pick a dark horse... Date Added: 14/05/2009
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