Sauber returnee Nick Heidfeld – whose new contract with the Sauber team is for the remainder of this season only – has not ruled out switching to a rival team if an attractive role is presented to him.
Having served the role of GPDA Chairman and Mercedes GP’s test and reserve driver for much of the season, Heidfeld quit both roles in pursuit of Pirelli’s tyre development role.
However, he was snaffled up by the Sauber squad for the last five races of 2010, replacing the sacked Pedro de la Rosa.
Team boss Peter Sauber – who recently re-signed Kamui Kobayashi onto the team for next season, in addition to confirming Esteban Gutierrez on the team’s reserve driver list – has simply described the 2011 driver situation as “completely open”.
“At the moment we are concentrating on working with Nick,” he told Stuttgarter Zeitung.
As for Heidfeld, his role as Pirelli’s tyre tester gives him an intimate knowledge of the potential 2011 tyre compounds, and will make him a hugely attractive prospect to any team – for the right price, no doubt…
“It’s going to help in the negotiations for 2011,” Heidfeld told news agency SID. “[We] are still open [to negotiations with Sauber for 2011], and there are other interested parties.”
[Original image via The Cahier Archive]
Richard Bailey
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