Why is Heidfeld getting a Williams Test??

[oziengineer]

I cannot understand the logic in giving this man a chance to have a crack at the second williams seat. He has hardly set the world on fire and hasn't done it really before in his career. Glad to see Davidson getting a chance to test, but surely there are other, better options than Heidfeld.

[flor]

you dont know anythign about him do you?

[Mattracer]

Like Bourdais. And DC. Except that DC doesn't need to test because of the ten years of F1 experience and the fact he's been at Williams before.

[Glen]

He is a very competent and fast racer - and he has proved it. He wasn't humbled vs Kimi for example, by any means, and he has struggled manfully with a very difficult Jordan, often putting it where it just didn't belong.

[ralf fan]

He had a terrific season... considering he was in a Jordon... he is very fast and until a certain Kimi Raikkonnen came along he was first choice to replace Mika Hakkinnen...

[DSM]

He certainly showed OK against KR, although he had more exerience. Also, perhaps just as importantly, he's German.

[Kicking-back]

I don't think his German-ness has much to do with it.


There was a great analysis by Mark Hughes in Autosport the other week, where he assessed Heidfeld's Japanese Grand Prix performance, referencing Glock and Klien.

It certainly made me rethink my views of Heidfeld.

I'd like to see how he'd do, given a season in a top car.

But I still want Davidson to get this drive.

[Glen]

It's a win-win situation for us - Ant would be a terrific choice, as would NH. It's all down to them now. I'd prefer Ant too, but if Heidfeld turns out faster and better then how can one argue? I want whatever is best for Williams first and foremost - a decent challenge for Webber, and a many points as possible.

[BootsOntheSide]

Heidfeld could be the right man for the drive. He matched Alesi as a rookie in the terrible 2000 Prost, had 3 generally-positive seasons at Sauber, and did extrememly well in the ill-handling Jordan this year - probably better than Fisichella had the previous year. He's more experienced than Davidson, and would be able to help in terms of testing and mindset.

[joe rossi]

I want it to go to Heidfield if DC doesn't get it. A lot is spoken on this forum about "giving someone a chance" Nick certainly deserves at least a season in a top team. If he fails, so be it, but I don't think he will. Davidson can have his chance next year in the BAR..This may be Nick's only shot at it

[Aysedasi]

I'd assumed DC was now oput of the frame. I thought it was a straight shoot-out between Davidson and Heidfeld?

[Peter Mallett]

On the sympathy vote you'd go with Nick but on the basisi of performance you have to say that Ant has the edge in sheer hunger. Nick had his chances but Mercedes let him go. They must have known something.

Like him but he's never really impressed me, unlike Kimi and some others.

[Knowlesy]

Nick was superb this year and fully deserves this shot.

If Ant can't get the gig, then heidfeld would be my next choice.

Both are fast, hungry and neither has been to Frank Williams with a desperate Powerpoint presentation detailing what they've achieved in their careers, forgetting how they've performed in their latter years.

[N I Tram]

The one-year nature of the drive appears to make Nick the more logical choice to me. He's fast and reliable, and will be able to make a big impact on the team quite quickly. He's been the more successful driver in most seasons of his career, like Fisichella, and is probably overdue a chance in a top team.

[Glen]

Originally posted by knowlesy
...neither has been to Frank Williams with a desperate Powerpoint presentation ...

He he.

[go-jordan]

What is so special about davidson. He topped the timesheets in friday practice a few times running on vapours and with higher engine revs than his teammates had and he is now better than heidfeld. Remember his performances in the minardi in 2001. They were embarressing. His best quallifying was a second off webber and that may not seem bad but his race performances were just dire. I remember him whinging about how difficult it was to see when to lap people and didnt he knock button off in hungary. His race pace was as far off webber as yoongs was.

And we have to remember this guy was thrashed by takuma sato in f3 in the same car.
Hes not a bad driver but to say he is better than heidfeld due to unfairly compared to button and sat on a friday of grand prix weekends when we know he has an advantage over them is just silly.
Heidfeld for williams 2005!

[Kicking-back]

Welcome to ten-tenths, go-jordan.

Davidson did not run "on vapours".

He did not have significantly higher revs than his teammates.

He did not drive for Minardi in 2001.

His race pace when he drove for Minardi in 2002 was quicker than some drivers in higher-rated teams.

He was not "thrashed" by Sato in F3 - they were evenly matched.


Aside from that, good point

[Glen]

"Running on vapours" - hmmm sharp analysis. Perhaps you'd care to speculate why BAR would squander their valuable race weekend test sessions to a car set up in a totally meaningless way.

[BootsOntheSide]

The engines Ant used were certainly at higher revs than the race cars, as he did seem to have an advantage more on the straights than in the curves, but he usually did as many laps at a time as Jenson or Taku, and his laps tended to be consistant.

Remember that in F3, Sato had experience of the series and Ant didn't, and that after the first few races Ant generally outperformed Taku.

While I'm not Davidson's biggest fan by any means, it's fair to say that he's better than go-jordan portrayed him. Welcome GJ in any case, nice to have another fan of Eddie around.

[joe rossi]

Originally posted by go-jordan
What is so special about davidson. He topped the timesheets in friday practice a few times running on vapours and with higher engine revs than his teammates had and he is now better than heidfeld. Remember his performances in the minardi in 2001. They were embarressing. His best quallifying was a second off webber and that may not seem bad but his race performances were just dire. I remember him whinging about how difficult it was to see when to lap people and didnt he knock button off in hungary. His race pace was as far off webber as yoongs was.


Heidfeld for williams 2005!

ooh now you've done it! (put's on tin hat and fetches popcorn in readiness of fireworks)

welcome, by the way, but you have stumbled into the AD appreciation society club house. I'm with you though on this one!

[Glen]

You can sensibly question Ant's f1 racing credentials - but how can you be with him on "running on vapours" , which is just not true? His lap times were fast and consistent over a stint of laps. Unless you know of a way of having "vapours" for lap after lap?

Also, he only had a few hundred more revs - almost nothing.

[Kirk]

I'm afraid that at least some of AD's speed is a derivative of the one-engine rule. Sato and JB, or any of the race-day drivers, will tend not to take to any unnecessary risks in practice and will keep the revs down. AD has no such worry but he has been consistent and it will be interesting. Nick, I'm sure looks at this as his last shot at a decent ride and that will have him pumped. His experience and citizenship has to be in his favour as well. Yep, assuming that these 2 are the only ones involved, I think AD must blow him away in order to procur the seat.

[boom boom]

I think Nick is a top choice, and have no idea why Bar would let ant go to Williams. Why keep a driver who does not want to race with you and let your fast and up and coming star tester go to the team button wants to drive for. What does this tell Ant, we think you are good but we are not to sure about you, we would rather have a disgruntled driver who wants to be somewhere else.
Maybe Williams might try and sign him and than swap for button. But why have Ant come over for a year? Let bar do there own racer development. I say take Nick or some other fast young driver....there are many to choose from, or take Pizza (oh i forgot Mark Webber that great team man who makes everyone work together so well has a problem with him). Personally I dont see how this keeping Jb and letting Ant go to williams makes sence. Frank should either take Nick, Sebastion Bordais, or Pizzonia IMO

[joe rossi]

Originally posted by Glen
You can sensibly question Ant's f1 racing credentials - but how can you be with him on "running on vapours" , which is just not true?

You're right Glen, I don't agree with that statement..I was having a jokey pop at the whole "cult of AD" that surfaces from some quarters around here. From a purely personal viewpoint, I tend to favour the underdog, be it DC (who gets slagged on a daily basis on this forum) or Nick Heidfield, (who is way better than his results show).
The more I get rammed down my throat about AD being the second coming, the more I hope Nick gets the Williams drive (even I've given up on DC getting it). Childish I know, and I was a big AD supporter when he showed up at Minardi, but the constant braying about his talents has kind of put me off him.

[Knowlesy]

Ant running on vapours....yeah, good one.

At no stage during a race weekend in 2004 would it have been beneficial for any of the teams to run low fuel laps.