Formula One news

Heidfeld gets Williams drive

Nick Heidfeld has been confirmed as Mark Webber's team mate for the 2005 season at Williams. The German went from being an outsider for the drive at the start of December to beat Antonio Pizzonia to the drive. The appointment was announced this morning as Williams unveiled its new FW27 car at Valencia, Spain. 

BMW is understood to have grown into a fan of Heidfeld following his performance in winter testing but it is also known that Brazilian oil company Petrobas was keen to see Pizzonia take the drive. It remains to be seen if Pizzonia will hang around at Williams as test driver or seek a race drive with Jordan. The other alternative is a move to the US.

"We did a lot of testing to make the choice. It was a very difficult choice in the very last minute", commented BMW WilliamsF1 Team Principal, Frank Williams. "A very close call."

Nick Heidfeld said, "It's fantastic to finally have the chance of being part of a World Championship team. It's definitely the big step I hoped for in the last couple of years."

For Nick it will be his first season as a BMW WilliamsF1 Team driver. Over the course of his Formula One career he has already contested 84 Grands Prix for Prost, Sauber and Jordan.

Antonio Pizzonia will support the team's efforts as official test and reserve driver in 2005. "Quite obviously I'm quite disappointed, but I'm still quite young. Yet I'll do my very best to help the team in the championship", he said.

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