# Nick Heidfeld

Nick Lars Heidfeld (German pronunciation:; born 10 May 1977) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 2000 to 2011.
Born and raised in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Heidfeld began competitive kart racing aged 11. He progressed to Formula Ford in 1994, winning multiple national championships before graduating to Formula Three. After finishing third in 1996, Heidfeld won the German Formula Three Championship the following year, also winning the Monaco F3 Grand Prix. He then finished runner-up to Juan Pablo Montoya in International F3000, before winning the series in 1999. A test driver for McLaren since 1998, Heidfeld signed for Prost in 2000 to partner Jean Alesi, making his Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix. After a non-classified championship finish for Prost with the AP03, Heidfeld moved to Sauber in 2001, finishing fourth on debut and taking his maiden podium at the Brazilian Grand Prix as he outscored rookie teammate Kimi Räikkönen.
Heidfeld remained at Sauber for two further seasons before moving to Jordan in 2004, where he scored multiple points finishes in the relatively uncompetitive EJ14. He signed for Williams in 2005, scoring several podiums amongst his maiden pole position at the European Grand Prix. Following a string of high-profile injuries, Heidfeld left Williams to re-join Sauber—now known as BMW Sauber—in 2006. He scored eight podiums across four seasons with BMW Sauber, finishing a career-best fifth in the World Drivers' Championship in 2007. BMW withdrew from the sport at the end of the 2009 season, leaving Heidfeld without a seat. He replaced Pedro de la Rosa at Sauber from the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix onwards, and joined Renault for his 2011 campaign to substitute for an injured Robert Kubica. Heidfeld took his final podium in Malaysia before he was replaced by Bruno Senna after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Heidfeld departed Formula One with one pole position, two fastest laps and 13 podiums, the latter of which remains the record without winning a Grand Prix.
Heidfeld moved to Formula E for its inaugural 2014–15 season with Venturi, achieving his first podium at the Moscow ePrix before joining Mahindra in 2015. Over three seasons with Mahindra, Heidfeld scored seven further podiums before leaving at the end of 2017–18. Outside of formula racing, Heidfeld has entered six editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning the LMP1-L class in 2014 and finishing fourth overall twice. He competed in five seasons of the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2012 to 2016 with Rebellion, and finished runner-up in the American Le Mans Series in 2013. Heidfeld served as chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association in 2010.

## Early life and career

Heidfeld was born in Mönchengladbach, West Germany on 10 May 1977, and began racing karts at the age of 11 in 1988. In 1994 he moved into the German Formula Ford series, gaining widespread attention by winning 8 of the 9 races to take the title that season. In 1995 he won the German International Formula Ford 1800 Championship, and came second in the Zetec Cup. This led to a drive in the German Formula Three Championship for 1996, where he finished third overall, after taking 3 wins. He entered the end of the season Macau Grand Prix and won the first heat of the race, attracting the attention of compatriot Norbert Haug, who later signed him up for the West Competition team.

## Junior career

The following year Heidfeld won the German F3 Championship for Bertram Schäfer Racing, with support from McLaren/West, including a win at the Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race. In 1998, he won three races and was runner-up in the International Formula 3000 championship, with the West Competition team. At the final race of the season he was demoted to the back of the grid from pole position, after his team used non-compliant fuel. He finished the race ninth and out of the points, losing the championship by seven points to Juan Pablo Montoya. During that season, he was also the official test driver for the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team. In 1999, he won the International Formula 3000 Championship. That year he also took the official track record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed which stood for 20 years. He was also a member of the Mercedes squad that raced at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the team withdrew after the Mercedes-Benz CLR back-flipped on the Mulsanne Straight while Mark Webber and Peter Dumbreck were driving.

## Formula One career
### Prost (2000)

Heidfeld was signed as a race driver for the Prost Grand Prix F1 team for the 2000 season, alongside Formula One veteran Jean Alesi. Heidfeld struggled with his new car and suffered a string of retirements, as well as colliding with his teammate on more than one occasion.

### Sauber (2001–2003)

He departed Prost at the end of that season, before signing a three-year contract with Sauber for 2001. He was partnered with then rookie driver Kimi Räikkönen. Heidfeld scored his first podium with a third-place finish in the Brazilian Grand Prix. After the announcement of Mika Häkkinen's retirement, many thought that Heidfeld would replace him in the McLaren-Mercedes team, as he had Mercedes backing and had outscored the much more inexperienced Räikkönen by three points over the year. However, the McLaren seat went to Räikkönen, and Heidfeld stayed with Sauber for 2002 and 2003, where he racked up a number of points finishes. In 2002 he outperformed another rookie teammate, Felipe Massa, but was then beaten by his more experienced fellow countryman, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, in 2003.

### Jordan (2004)

At the end of the 2003 season, Heidfeld was replaced at the Sauber team by Jordan's Giancarlo Fisichella and looked to be without a race seat for the 2004 season. However, after impressing during a series of preseason tests, it was announced that Heidfeld would race with the financially strapped Jordan team, alongside rookie Giorgio Pantano. The EJ14 was an upgrade of the previous season's uncompetitive EJ13 and proved slow. Despite this, Heidfeld often outperformed the car, finishing ahead of more competitive vehicles. He finished seventh at the Monaco Grand Prix and eighth at the Canadian Grand Prix and finished the season with three points.

### Williams (2005)

During the winter of 2004–2005, Heidfeld tested with the Williams team, in a 'shootout' against Antônio Pizzonia for the second race seat alongside Mark Webber. At the Williams launch on 31 January 2005, it was announced that Heidfeld would be the race driver for the team in 2005, replacing the McLaren-bound Juan Pablo Montoya.
He performed well throughout the season, often finishing ahead of teammate Webber. At the seventh race of the 2005 season at the Nürburgring circuit, his home Grand Prix, Heidfeld took his first and only pole position. In Monaco he finished second, which he equalled at the Nürburgring in the same season.
Heidfeld missed the Italian and Belgian Grands Prix due to injuries suffered in a testing accident. Scheduled to come back for Brazil, he was injured again when hit by a motorbike when out cycling, and therefore forced to sit out the rest of the season.

### BMW Sauber (2006–2009)
#### 2006

Heidfeld gained a contract with his then Williams' engine supplier, BMW, when they bought the Sauber team (BMW and Sauber merger) and entered Formula One as BMW Sauber for the 2006 season, replacing Felipe Massa who was bound for Ferrari.
During 2006 Heidfeld scored points several times for his new team. At Melbourne he ran as high as second until the safety car came out. He eventually finished fourth. At Indianapolis, he was eliminated in a spectacular first lap accident which saw fellow drivers Scott Speed, Jenson Button, Kimi Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya also go out. Heidfeld's car was launched into a quadruple barrel roll, but he and the other drivers all walked away unharmed. The Hungarian Grand Prix saw Heidfeld give BMW Sauber their first podium finish and best result of the year, when he finished third, even though he had only qualified tenth on the grid.
At the end of 2006, Heidfeld was quoted attacking the media's saturation coverage of his teammate Robert Kubica, who had scored fewer points than him. This has happened two other times in the German's career; in 2001 when he was teammates with Kimi Räikkönen (whom he beat twelve points to nine) and in 2002, when he was teammates with Felipe Massa (whom he beat by seven points to four). Räikkönen and Massa later formed the 2007 Ferrari driver line-up.

#### 2007

Heidfeld started the 2007 season strongly. In Bahrain, he chased down and overtook reigning world champion Fernando Alonso around the outside, finishing half a minute ahead of his BMW teammate Kubica. He scored three fourth places in the opening three races, a sixth in Monaco, and a second place at the Canadian Grand Prix, where he also out-qualified both Ferraris, equalling his best ever Grand Prix finish. After retiring from fifth place at Indianapolis, he was outscored by teammate Kubica at both Magny-Cours and Silverstone. At an eventful European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, Heidfeld's home circuit, where he collided with Kubica on the opening lap, he recovered and overtook Kubica on the final lap to finish sixth, despite making six pitstops during the race. Heidfeld returned to form in Hungary, qualifying second and finishing third to score his and BMW's second podium of the season. He finished fourth at the Turkish and Italian Grand Prix, and fifth in the Belgian Grand Prix. He eventually finished a career-best fifth in the championship with 61 points, outpointing Kubica by 22 points.
On 28 April 2007, Heidfeld drove three demonstration laps around the Nürburgring's legendary 14 mile Nordschleife track, which made him the first driver in 31 years to pilot a current F1 car there. About 45,000 spectators attended the event, which was held after a four-hour VLN endurance race.

#### 2008

After several months of negotiations, BMW confirmed that Heidfeld would stay with the team for 2008.
Heidfeld began the 2008 season strongly, finishing second in Australia after qualifying fifth. In Malaysia, he qualified fifth but dropped down to tenth at the first corner after being pushed wide by Jarno Trulli. He got back up to sixth, also setting his first ever fastest lap in the process. In Bahrain he started from sixth place but he did not gain a place at the start, but passed Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen to climb up to fourth. He finished there and this fourth gave him second in the championship.
After a few disappointing qualifying sessions and races in the following weeks (after which the German press started to call him "Leidfeld", with "Leid" meaning "misery" in German), Kubica and Heidfeld made BMW Sauber history by securing the third-year team's first victory, and first one-two finish respectively in Canada. Heidfeld was positioned eighth on the grid and after losing a place at the start, before gaining it back, was sitting comfortably in eighth place once again before a safety car situation saw the top 7 cars enter the pits in what was to soon become a bizarre series of errors that left Heidfeld and Kubica battling for the top two places. Heidfeld was switched to a one-stop fuel strategy and came out of his stop ahead of Kubica, but considerably heavier on fuel. Not long afterwards, Heidfeld moved off the racing line allowing Kubica to make an easy pass, which then allowed the lighter BMW Sauber to build up a considerable lead on Heidfeld, who was occupied with preventing Fernando Alonso, also in a lighter car, from chasing Kubica. The gap built by Kubica allowed him to rejoin the race comfortably in the lead after his final pitstop with no threats behind him. Heidfeld finished the race second, solidifying his fifth-place position in the driver's points although his post-race body language suggested he was unhappy to have ceded a potential win for the benefit of the team. Heidfeld had a disappointing race in France, failing to score any points. He came back strongly at the British Grand Prix, starting fifth and finishing second in the wet conditions. Another strong performance, where he set the fastest lap of the race for the second time this season, was his home grand prix at the Hockenheimring showed that, for the time being, he had reversed the performance deficit to his teammate. Another second-place finish at the Belgian Grand Prix, followed by 5th and 6th-place finishes in Italy and Singapore respectively put him just one point behind current World Champion Kimi Räikkönen with just three races remaining.
It was confirmed on 6 October that both Heidfeld and teammate Kubica would remain at the BMW Sauber team for the 2009 season.
In the last three races Heidfeld scored four points, ending in sixth place in the standings after being passed by Fernando Alonso at the last round of the season. However, Heidfeld became only the second driver to finish 18 races in a single season, after Tiago Monteiro completed the same feat with Jordan in 2005. Heidfeld also became the first driver to finish every single race in a season since Michael Schumacher in 2002.

#### 2009

Heidfeld began 2009 in Australia by qualifying in 11th place and finishing 10th in the race. At the Malaysian Grand Prix, Heidfeld again qualified in 11th, but started 10th as Sebastian Vettel was issued a 10 place drop (for an incident caused in Australia with Heidfeld's teammate Kubica). The race was stopped due to torrential rain on the 33rd lap, when Heidfeld was third, but as set out in the regulations, the result was taken at the end of the penultimate completed lap, when Heidfeld had been running second. Because less than 75% of the race distance had been covered, the drivers only received half points. He scored a further 2 points at the Spanish Grand Prix, and finished 5th at Spa to score another 4 points. A seventh-place finish at Monza added a further 2 points to his 2009 tally. Nevertheless, four points-scoring finishes in the final six races secured him thirteenth position in the Drivers' Championship, two points ahead of Kubica.
In Singapore, Heidfeld's run of 41 consecutive classified finishes was brought to an end due to a collision with Force India's Adrian Sutil.

### 2010: Different stints
#### Mercedes and Pirelli test driver

Following BMW's decision to withdraw from the sport at the end of the 2009 season, Heidfeld's future in Formula One was uncertain. It was mentioned that he was considered to drive for Mercedes GP alongside fellow German Nico Rosberg but the team signed another German in Michael Schumacher instead. McLaren was also a potential destination however these negotiations came to nothing as well. Heidfeld was then tipped for a seat at Sauber alongside Kamui Kobayashi but they decided to go with Pedro de la Rosa. Heidfeld was then in the running for a Renault seat alongside fellow BMW Sauber refugee Robert Kubica, but on 4 February, Heidfeld was confirmed as the test and reserve driver for Mercedes.
At the Australian Grand Prix, Heidfeld was chosen to succeed Pedro de la Rosa as Chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. He left the position upon taking the role of Pirelli's test driver ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, and was replaced by Rubens Barrichello.
In August 2010, with Heidfeld not yet having driven the Mercedes MGP W01 car, the team released him from his contract so that he could become the Pirelli tyre company's test driver. Heidfeld tested a Toyota TF109 car fitted with Pirelli tyres on a number of occasions in 2010, ahead of the firm's replacement of Bridgestone as the sport's sole tyre supplier in 2011. Heidfeld completed three tests for Pirelli in Mugello, Paul Ricard and Jerez before being released from his duties to join Sauber, with his place being taken by Romain Grosjean.

#### Returns to F1 with Sauber (2010)

In September 2010, Heidfeld returned to the Formula One grid, replacing Pedro de la Rosa at the Sauber team for the remainder of the 2010 season. This marked his third spell with them. On 4 October 2010, Sauber confirmed their driver line-up for 2011 as Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Pérez, seemingly leaving Heidfeld without a drive for 2011, before replacing Robert Kubica at Renault, who was injured in a rally accident on 6 February 2011.

### Lotus Renault (2011)

On 9 February, Lotus Renault GP confirmed that Heidfeld would be sharing testing duties with Bruno Senna on the Saturday and Sunday of the four-day test at Jerez, to evaluate the drivers in preparation of replacing the injured and former BMW Sauber teammate Robert Kubica, who had suffered long-term injuries to his arm and hand in a crash whilst rallying in Italy, for the 2011 season. On the Saturday, Heidfeld set the quickest time of the day, stating that he enjoyed his day's running – 86 laps – with the team, and had fun driving the car. Heidfeld was confirmed as Kubica's replacement on 16 February 2011. In Australia, the first race of the season following the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Heidfeld qualified 18th and ended 12th after suffering significant damage to his car due to another competitor driving into him at the start of race. On 10 April 2011, Heidfeld finished third, after starting sixth, in the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, breaking Stefan Johansson's record of 12 podiums without a win. He added another 12th place in China, before a seventh-place finish in Turkey after a close battle with teammate Petrov. Two eighth places in Spain and Monaco were followed by a retirement at the Canadian Grand Prix, after running into the back of Kamui Kobayashi and causing damage to his front wing, which broke under acceleration and collapsed under the car. He was forced to retire after his car caught fire after exiting the pit lane on lap 25 in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Heidfeld was replaced by Bruno Senna ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. Heidfeld officially parted company with the team on 2 September 2011.

### Legacy

In 2016, in an academic paper that reported a mathematical modeling study that assessed the relative influence of driver and machine, Heidfeld was ranked the 23rd best Formula One driver of all time.

## Endurance racing

On 1 February 2012, it was confirmed that Heidfeld would join the Rebellion Racing team to contest both the Le Mans 24 Hours and selected races of the FIA World Endurance Championship. In addition to Le Mans, he also raced at the Sebring 12 Hours and Spa 6 Hours, sharing a Lola-Toyota LMP1 car with teammates Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost. The car finished 32nd overall and seventh in class at Sebring after encountering problems, before leading home a Rebellion one-two in the unofficial privateer class at Spa, finishing fifth overall behind the four works Audis. At Le Mans, Heidfeld and his teammates went one better by finishing fourth, splitting the Audis after a fast and problem-free run.

## Formula E

On 26 June 2014, Heidfeld signed up for the inaugural season of Formula E for Venturi Grand Prix. In the first race at the 2014 Beijing ePrix, he had a spectacular accident at the final corner on the final lap with e.Dams Renault driver Nicolas Prost whilst fighting for the lead. Prost later accepted the blame for the accident. At the 2014 Putrajaya ePrix, he retired from the race after a collision this time with Franck Montagny but to add insult to injury, he was excluded from the 19th position finish for changing his car outside the permitted area during his pit stop, meaning he cannot count the race as a round where he drops a score.

## Personal life

Heidfeld lives in Stäfa, Switzerland with his fiancée, daughter (born 2005), and sons (born 2007, 2010). He has an elder brother, Tim, and a younger brother, Sven, a former racing driver who is now a motorsport commentator for German television.
His nickname to Formula One fans is "Quick Nick", which he got while driving for Williams in 2005.

## Racing record
### Career summary

| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
| 1994 | German Formula Ford 1600 | ? | 9 | 8 | ? | ? | ? | ? | 1st |
| 1994 | German Formula Ford 1800 | Eifelland Racing | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 48 | 10th |
| 1995 | German Formula Ford 1800 | ADAC Nordrhein Junior Team | ? | 4 | ? | ? | ? | 346 | 1st |
| 1995 | Formel Ford Zetec Meisterschaft | ADAC Nordrhein Junior Team | ? | 2 | ? | ? | ? | 169 | 2nd |
| 1996 | German Formula 3 Championship | Opel Team BSR | 15 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 138 | 3rd |
| 1996 | Masters of Formula 3 | Opel Team BSR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 3rd |
| 1996 | Macau Grand Prix | Opel Team BSR | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6th |
| 1996 | Monaco Grand Prix Formula 3 | Opel Team BSR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 21st |
| 1997 | German Formula 3 Championship | Opel Team BSR | 18 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 224 | 1st |
| 1997 | Monaco Grand Prix Formula 3 | Opel Team BSR | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | N/A | 1st |
| 1997 | Masters of Formula 3 | Opel Team BSR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7th |
| 1998 | International Formula 3000 | West Competition Team | 12 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 58 | 2nd |
| 1998 | Formula One | West McLaren Mercedes | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver |
| 1999 | International Formula 3000 | West Competition Team | 10 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 59 | 1st |
| 1999 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTP | AMG-Mercedes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF |
| 1999 | Formula One | West McLaren Mercedes | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver |
| 1999 | Formula One | Gauloises Prost Peugeot | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver |
| 2000 | Formula One | Gauloises Prost Peugeot | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2001 | Formula One | Red Bull Sauber Petronas | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 8th |
| 2002 | Formula One | Sauber Petronas | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10th |
| 2003 | Formula One | Sauber Petronas | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14th |
| 2004 | Formula One | Jordan Ford | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18th |
| 2005 | Formula One | BMW Williams F1 Team | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 11th |
| 2006 | Formula One | BMW Sauber F1 Team | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 9th |
| 2007 | Formula One | BMW Sauber F1 Team | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 61 | 5th |
| 2008 | Formula One | BMW Sauber F1 Team | 18 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 60 | 6th |
| 2009 | Formula One | BMW Sauber F1 Team | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 13th |
| 2010 | Formula One | Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver |
| 2010 | Formula One | Pirelli | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver |
| 2010 | Formula One | BMW Sauber | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 18th |
| 2011 | Formula One | Lotus Renault GP | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 34 | 11th |
| 2012 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Rebellion Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 42.5 | 14th |
| 2012 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | Rebellion Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 4th |
| 2012 | 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 | Gemballa Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF |
| 2012 | V8 Supercars Championship | Rod Nash Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2012 | Porsche Supercup | Porsche AG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 2013 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Rebellion Racing | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 8th |
| 2013 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | Rebellion Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 39th |
| 2013 | American Le Mans Series - P1 | Rebellion Racing | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 82 | 2nd |
| 2014 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Rebellion Racing | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64.5 | 10th |
| 2014 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | Rebellion Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 4th |
| 2014 | 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 | Nissan GT Academy Team RJN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 13th |
| 2014–15 | Formula E | Venturi Grand Prix | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 12th |
| 2015 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Rebellion Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 29th |
| 2015 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | Rebellion Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 23rd |
| 2015–16 | Formula E | Mahindra Racing | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 53 | 10th |
| 2016 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Rebellion Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25.5 | 14th |
| 2016 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | Rebellion Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 29th |
| 2016–17 | Formula E | Mahindra Racing | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 88 | 7th |
| 2017 | WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - Prototype | Rebellion Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 22nd |
| 2017–18 | Formula E | Mahindra Racing | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 42 | 11th |
| 2018–19 | Formula E | Mahindra Racing | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver |
| 2019–20 | Formula E | Mahindra Racing | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver |
| 2020–21 | Formula E | Mahindra Racing | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver | Reserve driver |
| 2022 | FIA World Rallycross Championship | QEV Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16th |
† As Heidfeld was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

### Formula racing
#### Complete German Formula Three results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | DC | Pts |
| 1996 | Opel Team BSR | Opel | A | HOC 1 6 | HOC 2 Ret | NÜR 2 | NÜR 1 4 | NÜR 2 4 | NOR 1 Ret | NOR 2 3 | DIE 1 Ret | DIE 2 11 | NÜR 1 1 | NÜR 2 1 | MAG 1 1 | MAG 2 2 | HOC 1 17 | HOC 2 4 | | | | 3rd | 138 |
| 1997 | Opel Team BSR | Opel | A | HOC 1 1 | HOC 2 1 | NÜR 1 2 | NÜR 2 3 | SAC 1 2 | SAC 2 6 | NOR 1 Ret | NOR 2 8 | WUN 1 12 | WUN 2 4 | ZWE 1 5 | ZWE 2 4 | SAL 1 1 | SAL 2 1 | LAH 1 2 | LAH 2 2 | NÜR 1 1 | NÜR 2 2 | 1st | 224 |

#### International Formula 3000 results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Pts |
| 1998 | West Competition | OSC 2 | IMO 4 | CAT 26 | SIL 2 | MON 1 | PAU 3 | A1R 7 | HOC 1 | HUN 1 | SPA 4 | PER 2 | NÜR 9 | 2nd | 58 |
| 1999 | West Competition | IMO 1 | MON 7 | CAT 1 | MAG 1 | SIL 3 | A1R 1 | HOC Ret | HUN 2 | SPA 4 | NÜR 2 | | | 1st | 59 |

#### Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | WDC | Pts |
| 2000 | Gauloises Prost Peugeot | Prost AP03 | Peugeot A20 3.0 V10 | AUS 9 | BRA Ret | SMR Ret | GBR Ret | ESP 16 | EUR EX | MON 8 | CAN Ret | FRA 12 | AUT Ret | GER 12$^†$ | HUN Ret | BEL Ret | ITA Ret | USA 9 | JPN Ret | MAL Ret | | | 20th | 0 |
| 2001 | Red Bull Sauber Petronas | Sauber C20 | Petronas 01A 3.0 V10 | AUS 4 | MAL Ret | BRA 3 | SMR 7 | ESP 6 | AUT 9 | MON Ret | CAN Ret | EUR Ret | FRA 6 | GBR 6 | GER Ret | HUN 6 | BEL Ret | ITA 11 | USA 6 | JPN 9 | | | 8th | 12 |
| 2002 | Sauber Petronas | Sauber C21 | Petronas 02A 3.0 V10 | AUS Ret | MAL 5 | BRA Ret | SMR 10 | ESP 4 | AUT Ret | MON 8 | CAN 12 | EUR 7 | GBR 6 | FRA 7 | GER 6 | HUN 9 | BEL 10 | ITA 10 | USA 9 | JPN 7 | | | 10th | 7 |
| 2003 | Sauber Petronas | Sauber C22 | Petronas 03A 3.0 V10 | AUS Ret | MAL 8 | BRA Ret | SMR 10 | ESP 10 | AUT Ret | MON 11 | CAN Ret | EUR 8 | FRA 13 | GBR 17 | GER 10 | HUN 9 | ITA 9 | USA 5 | JPN 9 | | | | 14th | 6 |
| 2004 | Jordan Ford | Jordan EJ14 | Ford RS2 3.0 V10 | AUS Ret | MAL Ret | BHR 15 | SMR Ret | ESP Ret | MON 7 | EUR 10 | CAN 8 | USA Ret | FRA 16 | GBR 15 | GER Ret | HUN 12 | BEL 11 | ITA 14 | CHN 13 | JPN 13 | BRA Ret | | 18th | 3 |
| 2005 | BMW WilliamsF1 Team | Williams FW27 | BMW P84/5 3.0 V10 | AUS Ret | MAL 3 | BHR Ret | SMR 6 | ESP 10 | MON 2 | EUR 2 | CAN Ret | USA DNS | FRA 14 | GBR 12 | GER 11 | HUN 6 | TUR Ret | ITA WD | BEL | BRA | JPN | CHN | 11th | 28 |
| 2006 | BMW Sauber F1 Team | BMW Sauber F1.06 | BMW P86 2.4 V8 | BHR 12 | MAL Ret | AUS 4 | SMR 13 | EUR 10 | ESP 8 | MON 7 | GBR 7 | CAN 7 | USA Ret | FRA 8 | GER Ret | HUN 3 | TUR 14 | ITA 8 | CHN 7 | JPN 8 | BRA 17$^†$ | | 9th | 23 |
| 2007 | BMW Sauber F1 Team | BMW Sauber F1.07 | BMW P86/7 2.4 V8 | AUS 4 | MAL 4 | BHR 4 | ESP Ret | MON 6 | CAN 2 | USA Ret | FRA 5 | GBR 6 | EUR 6 | HUN 3 | TUR 4 | ITA 4 | BEL 5 | JPN 14$^†$ | CHN 7 | BRA 6 | | | 5th | 61 |
| 2008 | BMW Sauber F1 Team | BMW Sauber F1.08 | BMW P86/8 2.4 V8 | AUS 2 | MAL 6 | BHR 4 | ESP 9 | TUR 5 | MON 14 | CAN 2 | FRA 13 | GBR 2 | GER 4 | HUN 10 | EUR 9 | BEL 2 | ITA 5 | SIN 6 | JPN 9 | CHN 5 | BRA 10 | | 6th | 60 |
| 2009 | BMW Sauber F1 Team | BMW Sauber F1.09 | BMW P86/9 2.4 V8 | AUS 10 | MAL 2$^‡$ | CHN 12 | BHR 19 | ESP 7 | MON 11 | TUR 11 | GBR 15 | GER 10 | HUN 11 | EUR 11 | BEL 5 | ITA 7 | SIN Ret | JPN 6 | BRA Ret | ABU 5 | | | 13th | 19 |
| 2010 | BMW Sauber F1 Team | Sauber C29 | Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 | BHR | AUS | MAL | CHN | ESP | MON | TUR | CAN | EUR | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN Ret | JPN 8 | KOR 9 | BRA 17 | ABU 11 | 18th | 6 |
| 2011 | Lotus Renault GP | Renault R31 | Renault RS27 2.4 V8 | AUS 12 | MAL 3 | CHN 12 | TUR 7 | ESP 8 | MON 8 | CAN Ret | EUR 10 | GBR 8 | GER Ret | HUN Ret | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | KOR | IND | ABU | BRA | 11th | 34 |
$^†$ Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance. ‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

##### Formula One records

Heidfeld holds the following Formula One records:
| Record | Number |
| Most podium finishes without a win | 13 |
| Most second-place finishes without a win | 8 |

#### Formula E results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Powertrain | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points |
| 2014–15 | Venturi Formula E Team | Spark SRT01-e | SRT01-e | BEI 13† | PUT DSQ | PDE 10 | BUE 8 | MIA 12 | LBH 11 | MCO 10 | BER 5 | MSC 3 | LDN 13 | LDN Ret | | 12th | 31 |
| 2015–16 | Mahindra Racing | Spark SRT01-e | Mahindra M2ELECTRO | BEI 3 | PUT 9 | PDE | BUE 7 | MEX 8 | LBH 4 | PAR 12 | BER 7 | LDN 13 | LDN 7 | | | 10th | 53 |
| 2016–17 | Mahindra Racing | Spark SRT01-e | Mahindra M3Electro | HKG 3 | MRK 9 | BUE 15 | MEX 12 | MCO 3 | PAR 3 | BER 3 | BER 10 | NYC Ret | NYC 3 | MTL Ret | MTL 5 | 7th | 88 |
| 2017–18 | Mahindra Racing | Spark SRT01-e | Mahindra M4Electro | HKG 3 | HKG 16 | MRK 7 | SCL Ret | MEX Ret | PDE Ret | RME 16 | PAR 11 | BER 10 | ZUR 6 | NYC 6 | NYC 8 | 11th | 42 |

##### Formula E records

Heidfeld co-holds the following Formula E record:
| Record | Number |
| Most podium finishes without a win | 8 |

### Endurance racing
#### Le Mans 24 Hours results

| Year | Entrant | Co-drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class pos. |
| 1999 | AMG-Mercedes | Christophe Bouchut Peter Dumbreck | Mercedes-Benz CLR | LMGTP | 75 | DNF | DNF |
| 2012 | Rebellion Racing | Nicolas Prost Neel Jani | Lola B12/60-Toyota | LMP1 | 367 | 4th | 4th |
| 2013 | Rebellion Racing | Nicolas Prost Neel Jani | Lola B12/60-Toyota | LMP1 | 275 | 39th | 7th |
| 2014 | Rebellion Racing | Nicolas Prost Mathias Beche | Rebellion R-One-Toyota | LMP1-L | 360 | 4th | 1st |
| 2015 | Rebellion Racing | Nicolas Prost Mathias Beche | Rebellion R-One-AER | LMP1 | 330 | 23rd | 10th |
| 2016 | Rebellion Racing | Nelson Piquet Jr. Nicolas Prost | Rebellion R-One-AER | LMP1 | 330 | 29th | 6th |

#### FIA World Endurance Championship results

| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points |
| 2012 | Rebellion Racing | LMP1 | Lola B12/60 | Toyota RV8KLM 3.4 L V8 | SEB 17 | SPA 5 | LMS 3 | SIL | SÃO | BHR | FUJ | SHA | | 14th | 42.5 |
| 2013 | Rebellion Racing | LMP1 | Lola B12/60 | Toyota RV8KLM 3.4 L V8 | SIL 5 | SPA 5 | LMS 20 | SÃO 3 | COA 4 | FUJ | SHA | BHR | | 8th | 48 |
| 2014 | Rebellion Racing | LMP1 | Lola B12/60 | Toyota RV8KLM 3.4 L V8 | SIL 4 | SPA 7 | LMS 4 | COA 7 | FUJ 12 | SHA 7 | BHR 7 | SÃO 8 | | 10th | 64.5 |
| 2015 | Rebellion Racing | LMP1 | Rebellion R-One | AER P60 2.4 L Turbo V6 | SIL | SPA | LMS 19 | NÜR 16 | COA 15 | FUJ | SHA | BHR | | 29th | 2 |
| 2016 | Rebellion Racing | LMP1 | Rebellion R-One | AER P60 2.4 L Turbo V6 | SIL 4 | SPA 4 | LMS 13 | NÜR 17 | MEX | COA | FUJ | SHA | BHR | 14th | 25.5 |

#### American Le Mans Series results

| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points |
| 2013 | Rebellion Racing | P1 | Lola B12/60 | Toyota RV8KLM 3.4 L V8 | SEB 3 | LBH 2 | LAG 2 | LRP | MOS | ROA | BAL | COA | VIR | ATL 1 | 2nd | 82 |

#### IMSA SportsCar Championship results

| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points |
| 2017 | Rebellion Racing | P | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | DAY 8 | SEB 9 | LBH | COA | DET | WGL | MOS | ELK | LGA | PET 8 | 22nd | 68 |

### Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results

(key)

#### RX2e

| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | WRX | Points |
| 2022 | QEV Motorsport | ZEROID X1 | SWE | NOR | LAT | BEL | CAT 10 | 16th | 6 |