Nick Heidfeld started karting at the age of eight before jumping into single-seaters, dominating the German Formula Ford 1600 series. He won eight races out of a possible nine in his debut season. The following year he clinched the title in the German International Formula Ford 1800 Championship. After his success in junior categories Heidfeld progressed to compete in the German Formula 3 and International F3000 series. He went on to win the title in both championships before making his Formula 1 debut for Prost GP. In his second season he switched to Sauber where he partnered Kimi Raikkonen. Following stints at both Williams F1 and the rebranded BMW Sauber Team, Heidfeld became a regular podium finisher while scoring a total of 259 points. The German attained the last of his 13 podiums in 2011 for Lotus-Renault before shifting focus to the World Endurance Championship and the American Le Mans Series.