Heidfeld said in Spa that he believed he had a valid contract and that a court hearing would take place after the Italian Grand Prix. But that will now not take place and the team is free to run whomever they choose alongside Vitaly Petrov.

Senna is in for the rest of the season (Photo: LRGP)

Eric Boullier, the Team Principal said, “Our disagreement with Nick has been the subject of much media coverage lately, and we are pleased to have reached a swift and reasonable solution. Our separation process was already a painful one, and neither of us wanted to go through another legal hearing. We’re very grateful to Nick for the highly valuable contribution he’s made to the team. We certainly had good times together, in particular remembering our podium finish in Malaysia. He is a very strong and determined racer and we wish him every success in the future.”

Heidfeld said, “Obviously I’m disappointed to be leaving Lotus Renault GP in the middle of the season. I thought I could still make a big contribution to the team, but I have to see things as they are and I want to turn my attention to the future. We have taken the right decision by choosing to end our collaboration today. I would like to wish all the friends I made at Enstone a successful end to the season. One thing is for sure – I’ll be back racing at the highest level soon.”

It’s hard for a driver to come into a team mid-season, but the team has said they expect Senna to be on Petrov’s pace by Singapore. As for this weekend, I’ve commissioned some stats from the leading stats man in F1, Sean Kelly, to give an indication of the task facing Bruno Senna in qualifying in Spa and Monza, in comparison with Petrov to find a realistic expectation.

Heidfeld was on average 0.490s slower than Petrov on the occasions when he was behind, so that is the target Senna is aiming for on Saturday here in Spa and in Monza.

Heidfeld’s performance relative to his team mate compares badly with the Rosberg-Schumacher comparison and the Alonso-Massa comparison above, both of which are also one-sided qualifying situations (10-1 in both cases).

But it compares even worse to the performance of Petrov versus Kubica last season.

Kubica was on average 0.754s faster than Petrov, who was then a rookie, last season.

Speaking in the Spa paddock this afternoon, team boss Eric Boullier explained the decision for the first time, “Every session, every weekend, the media jump on me asking why Vitaly is faster than Nick,” he said. “I was not very happy with the pure speed of Nick and his global performance as an experienced driver, that is it. His leadership didn’t work in the team and when you are sometimes slower than Vitaly, in fact most of the time slower than Vitaly, it is difficult for him to push the team and to settle himself as the team leader.”

The Renault chance is his best opportunity to make his mark in F1 for several years, since he was at BMW Sauber in 2008 with Kubica in fact. The 33 year old was the most competitive driver with the right combination of technical ability and recent experience available. Here he speaks exclusively to my colleague Lawrence Barretto at the Barcelona test who has kindly forwarded it to me and I thought it worth sharing. ‘

Quick Nick’ reveals how the deal came together and what he would have done if the Renault seat had not come off.

Heidfeld: Back in business (Photo: Lotus Renault GP)

What was the sequence of events which brought you to the drive with Renault?
“Well it all happened in a short period of time, but still there were a lot of phases. I heard Robert had this accident and the first message that I got was that he maybe broke his leg. Then after that, unfortunately on the internet it started to look a lot worse. I was very happy to see that he got better quite quickly, but on the other side, I saw this might be a chance for me – and that was a very strange feeling to work with knowing that if Robert was worse, I get a bigger chance. It was a very tough situation. But now that I have the chance, I’m going to try to take it. When I signed the contract, I was very happy because less than two weeks ago, there was no seat in Formula 1, at least as a race driver. I would have had an opportunity to test again but to have a seat with such a good team was not on the list.”

What would you have done if you didn’t sign for Renault?
“I think most likely I would have been test and reserve driver with Mercedes. It wasn’t signed yet but we were in talks.”

Do you think your decision to quit the Pirelli job and race for Sauber at the end of last season was a key factor in you getting this drive?
“I think it’s not very clear. I spoke to various people in Formula 1. Some thought it would be better to keep the Pirelli job and some thought it may be better to stay racing and stay in the rhythm. I think it was quite good actually. I got to do a few tests with Pirelli and get a feel for the tyres but then still stay in the rhythm of racing doing the starts and the race weekend with Sauber. Normally I’m always quite good at the start and I hope that is the same this season but it was important for me to put myself in that situation again. If was out for one season, it might take a little bit of tie to get into the swing of things again. ”

Do you think the Pirelli tyres will be a good leveller this season?
“Firstly, I think it should be a small advantage that I know the tyres although they changed after I left. But in the end, the tyres are the same for everybody. You just have to make the most of it. At the moment, it looks like it should make things more interesting. I think degradation is bigger than in the past so we should see more pitstops. It should be interesting at the beginning of the season to see how everybody adapts. ”

Would you like to see more pitstops in a race?
“Everybody wants to have exciting races. Also me, as a Formula 1 driver, I like to fight on the circuit and overtake but this is sometimes not easy. The pitstops add a lot of thrill. The in-laps, out-laps and the pitstops themselves are very crucial and you can overtake somebody. It could be a big factor in your whole race result so yes, I think it’s a good thing.”

Heidfeld, a veteran of 172 Grands Prix without a victory, was out of work after opting to give up his secure testing contracts with Mercedes and Pirelli for a five races deal with Sauber at the end of last season. But the injuries incurred by Kubica in a rallying accident ten days ago mean that the Pole is likely to miss most if not all of the season. He had a third operation today to repair his broken elbow. Although no official time for his recovery has been given, specialists in hand surgery suggest the nerves and tendons in his right hand will require a year to heal.

“I would have liked to come back to Formula One in different circumstances, but I’m proud to have been given this chance,” said Heidfeld.

Meanwhile the team boss Eric Boullier has said that the decision needed to be taken quickly to avoid derailing what was looking like a promising season for the team. Experience was the watchword for him and his engineers with an aggressive new car to sort out and new Pirelli tyres to be understood. They might have opted for hunger in the form of Nico Hulkenberg, but have decided to play it safe with Heidfeld. He ran Kubica close in their days together at BMW Sauber and if the tyres suit his style of driving can be a very potent performer.

“The team has been through a very difficult couple of weeks and we had to react quickly,” said Boullier. “We gave Nick a chance in Jerez last week and he really impressed us. He’s quick, experienced and is very strong technically with his feedback and understanding of the car. We always said the priority was to have an experienced driver in the car and we feel he is the ideal man for the job.”

“Vitaly (Petrov) will drive the R31 on Thursday and Friday, as originally scheduled. For Saturday and Sunday, the team will give mileage to Bruno Senna and will also evaluate Nick Heidfeld, who is a potential replacement for Robert Kubica as a race driver. The exact running order for the weekend will be confirmed on Friday evening, ” said the statement.

Team principal Eric Boullier said yesterday that “we need to understand if we are making a choice for short or long term, but we are coming around to thinking the latter.”

Heidfeld gets ready (Darren Heath)

Kubica continues to please the medics treating him in Italy. He has moved the fingers of his right hand, partially severed in two places in the horrific crash. But it will be a week before doctors will know whether the blood supply is secure and the hand will survive. You get the feeling though that Kubica will recover as fast as it’s possible to.

As his friend and doctor Riccardo Ceccarelli said, “Two days ago we were praying for him to live, now we are beginning to dream.”

According to stories in the Gazzetta dello Sport, Kubica was joking with Boullier yesterday saying that he is indestructable, “You know I’m a robot?” he joked with his team boss. Meanwhile Petrov brought him a spring loaded hand strengthener.

The first three tests were carried out by Heidfeld, with Grosjean taking over for the recent fourth test. But current F1 drivers will be relieved that the role has now been given to De la Rosa, who has a wealth of experience as a development driver with McLaren, a role he relinquished only this year to take up the race opportunity with Sauber.

Heidfeld spoke about the tests today briefly, on his return to competitive action with Sauber, explaining that he had worked on constructions and compounds. But he was not giving away any insights into how the tyres behave. Something many people would love to get a read on.

Having consulted with several engineers, it seems that Heidfeld’s knowledge will be useful to Sauber’s design engineers at this stage, as the tyre construction in particular is not likely to change significantly between now and the Abu Dhabi test in November at which all the teams and drivers will get their hands on the new rubber for the first time.

Heidfeld made it clear that he has come back to Sauber only for the remaining five races and that 2011 is still completely open.

Meanwhile one man who has a significant interest in the way the Pirelli’s are developing is Michael Schumacher, who worked alongside Heidfeld at Mercedes for half of this season. He spoke this evening about the subject. His difficulties this season have revolved to a large extent around the way that the Bridgestone front tyres perform on the Mercedes, which is not compatible with his style of driving, so some insight into the characteristics of next year’s tyres would be of great benefit to him.

“It’s a question of whether the tyres we have in Abu Dhabi will be the same ones we start the season with and continue the season with, ” said Schumacher. “Yes you’ll get a quick read because you know what the car has been with the Bridgestone tyres and then you’ll know what it is with the Pirelli tyres.

I asked him whether he had pumped Heidfeld for information. The Schumacher of old had legendary attention to detail and was always trying to squeeze out any piece of information that would give him a competitive advantage. Surely, given his current difficulties he would have got the information from Heidfeld?
“Not at all, ” he replied. “I haven’t had one word with him about his Pirelli test. I’m pretty sure what he would tell me wouldn’t be very conclusive. First he wouldn’t want to tell me anything and second he did it in a car that is very different, so what’s the point? I’d rather wait until I make my first experience.”

Schumacher has to approach next year as an opportunity. Next year is a level playing field for him relative the other drivers, all of whom will be coming to terms with the characteristics of the Pirellis from scratch. Remember that it took Alonso and Raikkonen the best part of half a season to master the switch from Michelin to Bridgestone in 2007.

Schumacher also took the opportunity to dismiss the rumours, put about by Eddie Jordan on the BBC, that he is planning to quit at the end of the season. Asked if he wished to deny it he said simply, “Indeed. You can’t get rid of me!”

One would expect that if this works out well, he may be retained next season alongside Kamui Kobayashi, who has already been signed. One problem is that de la Rosa’s car has already used 9 engines this season, so Heidfeld could be rather on the back foot when it comes to engine penalties with five events still to go.

This abrupt late season switch is reminiscent of 2006, when Sauber replaced another older driver whose hiring that season had surprised many people; Jacques Villeneuve.

Heidfeld started the year as a Mercedes reserve driver, but quit to lead the Pirelli testing programme. He has done two tests to date and has now grabbed the opportunity to race again with Sauber. Although he will have some idea of the characteristics of the Pirelli tyres from those two tests, it is early days and his information to the Sauber designers will be of use, but its relevance will decrease as the programme evolves.

It will be interesting to see whether Pirelli now decide to take Pedro de la Rosa on to continue the development programme. He is a very experienced test driver, having covered hundreds of thousands of kilometres in the role. He may take the tyres in a different direction.

De la Rosa has had a tough season. Sauber is prone to the odd left field driver choice and has historically tended to like either older experienced drivers or raw rookies. He gave Kimi Raikkonen his first run in F1, ironically in 2001 alongside Heidfeld, and today’s other news is that the 2007 champion has been in contact with Renault about a possible return next season.

Raikkonen has been in rallying this year, driving for the Citroen junior team with backing from Red Bull. “It is true that the summer has passed and we have had more and more requests – and the guy you mentioned [Raikkonen] is on the radar now,” Boullier told Autosport. “He is on the radar because he contacted us.”

Raikkonen: Has he unfinished business? (Darren Heath)

The second question is, do they need him? Renault lie 5th in the constructors’ championship table, 31 points behind Mercedes. But most of these points have come from Kubica, just as most of Mercedes’ points are from Rosberg. Renault would like Vitaly Petrov to succeed, but he has had two poor weekends in a row at a bad time and seems to find it hard to string a whole Grand Prix weekend together consistently.

McLaren has shown the benefits of having two top drivers and if they can afford it, hiring Raikkonen would seem a smart move. He’s not political so wouldn’t trouble Kubica much, other than keeping him on his toes. Raikkonen will be 31 at the start of next season, a few months older than Jenson Button and two years older than Fernando Alonso, so he still has plenty of good years in him and if he’s serious about a return it must be because he’s had a good think about where he went wrong last time.

If you look at performance charts of achievement by drivers, Raikkonen’s ratio of 18 wins and 62 podiums in 156 starts is very strong.

There is still some confusion about the finances of the Renault F1 team, after it leaked out that they had asked for an advance on their share of the F1 commercial rights from Bernie Ecclestone, a request which was denied.

At the time the team explained it away by saying that they had a cash flow issue, as payments from some of the new sponsors they had signed, such as Chinese solar company Trina Solar, were not due until later this year.

It has been suggested that internet entrepreneur Gerard Lopez, who holds 75% of the team and is a long time friend of Ecclestone, may be keeping the franchise warm while Renault, which owns 25%, considers whether a full scale return to the sport is viable. Renault themselves say that there is no substance to this story and that Renault are very happy as things are.

My sources suggest that Renault is waiting to see how the share of revenues under the new 2013 Concorde Agreement is resolved.

If the teams are successful in what is likely to be a hard fought and bitter negotiation, and manage to raise their share of the total revenues from 50% to more like 75%, which would make F1 more cost neutral – or even profitable – to participants, then it would be much more attractive.

Either way this will not have happened by next season and so if Raikkonen is offering his services – and one would have to question why team principal Eric Boullier would want to admit that to Autosport at this early stage – it will likely be a Renault team set up essentially as it is today.

The 33 year old German has been a rather forlorn looking reserve driver for Mercedes this season. With no on track testing allowed during the season, his role has been largely on the simulator and behind the scenes at the factory and the race track.

The Pirelli opportunity involves him driving the 2009 Toyota car, not the car which was designed and built for 2010 but never raced after the Japanese giant pulled out. The test programme, due to start straight away, will be extensive and will help Pirelli develop casings and a set of four tyre compounds for its return to the sport in 2011. After an absence of almost 20 years, the company plans to take a conservative approach and Heidfeld’s experience will come in very useful in finding the right compounds.

Toyota are running the car, with mechanics and engineers still employed at the old factory in Cologne. In total there will be 18 Toyota staff at the test in Mugello, where the car is running white and without logos. Toyota engineers are under contractual obligation not to share any Bridgestone technical data with the Pirelli engineers.

“We have a policy of complete impartiality, so we did not want to favour any existing team,” said Pirelli competition boss Paul Hembery. “The Toyota was the perfect solution, as it is a contemporary racing machine with proven speed and reliability but without links to any of the manufacturers currently competing in Formula One.”

As we have seen this year with Michael Schumacher’s problems at Mercedes, understanding how to get the best from the tyres is a vital part of being fast and this will be especially true on what will otherwise be a level playing field with unknown tyres next season.

That said, Heidfeld struggled with front tyre warm up in his BMW Sauber days, compared with Robert Kubica so his style of driving, gentle on the tyres, will need to be taken into account by the Pirelli engineers.

Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug said, “It would be great to see Nick in a competitive
car in next year’s Formula One World Championship and I am sure his leading role in the new tyre development, in addition to his skills, puts Nick in a good position for the remaining seats in 2011.”

Heidfeld was a Mercedes young driver and thought he was on a fast track to a McLaren seat in the early 2000s, but Mercedes and McLaren took Kimi Raikkonen instead. Heidfeld then went to BMW, but came back to Mercedes in the reserve driver role this year. It will be interesting to see whether one of the Mercedes engined teams takes him next year or whether another forward thinking team decides to give him a run.

Sauber ran him during two separate stints and in the most recent one were not pleased when he suddenly speeded up by four tenths of a second per lap when the replaced Jacques Villeneuve with Robert Kubica in 2006. Peter Sauber felt that he should have been putting everything on the table all the time.

But if testing remains very limited next season, then having Heidfeld’s experience, even for one season, would be vastly preferable to running a rookie, so you may see him get a second chance.

He’s strong on engineering and his performances alongside Kubica showed that if the car is set up to his liking he can be very fast. The problem was that he and Kubica wanted quite different things from a car.

“The team has always said that they would not stand in my way if such a chance arose and they have kindly allowed me to take up this exciting new role,” said Heidfeld.

Pirelli has also taken the smart move of hiring the hugely experienced Peter Grzelinski and James Gresham to manage the tyre logistics. They have been responsible for this role with Bridgestone throughout their time in F1, stretching back to 1997 and have forgotten more about moving tyres around the world and getting them serviced properly at race tracks than most people have ever learned.

Mercedes has released Heidfeld from his contract and say they will not rush to appoint a new reserve driver. But they will need someone to cover them in Spa in two weeks. Perhaps Mercedes DTM driver Paul di Resta, who is contracted to Force India and has recent F1 experience, can be on standby, otherwise they may go with someone like Jamie Green, who is also a front line star in DTM and who has long deserved a chance in F1.

But I guess with Mercedes being an all German team, they may also be thinking of a German reserve driver.

Heidfeld: on sidelines again (Darren Heath)

In his junior days he was a test driver for McLaren Mercedes but did not get taken on in an F1 race seat. He was at Sauber in 2001 when Mercedes and McLaren again overlooked him and chose his team mate Kimi Raikkonen instead. His career has had several false starts and never delivered the race wins his speed and engineering prowess deserved.

With drives and Sauber and Renault having been filled last week, Heidfeld’s options were getting thin and rather than follow Jarno Trulli into employment with a new team, he has chosen to stay close to the action at the front of the grid, albeit in a reserve role.

“Whilst I would of course have preferred a seat as an active driver, I am really proud to be part of the new Silver Arrows team,” he said. “It’s the team which has attracted the most interest in the close season, not only because of the comeback of Michael Schumacher, but also because this season sees the return of the Silver Arrows cars as a Mercedes-Benz works team for the first time in over fifty years.”

The key word here is “active”. Test drivers today don’t do much actual driving of racing cars due to the testing ban, but Heidfeld will be actively employed in the simulator and will attend events in his reserve capacity, should anything happen to Nico Rosberg or Michael Schumacher. With Schumacher being 41 and recovering from a neck injury, it’s a wise move by the team to have a driver who they know will be able to compete straight away should he be called on.