Meet the driver who never won an F1 race but nearly denied Michael Schumacher his Mercedes comeback

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Michael Schumacher is best remembered in Formula 1 for his emergence at Benetton where he won two titles, before going on to dominate the sport with Ferrari in the early 2000s.

The combination of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari is an image that a generation of F1 fans first associate with the sport, as the German stood on the top step of the podium race after race listen to his and his team’s national anthems.

Now, Nico Hulkenberg is the country’s only representative on the grid and Germany hasn’t hosted a race since 2020 when the Eifel Grand Prix was held at the Nurburgring.

However, Germany has a rich history of producing F1 drivers and back in 2010, Mercedes decided they wanted to re-enter the sport with at least German running in their cars.

They took over from Brawn GP, moving on Rubens Barrichello and reigning champion Jenson Button with Nico Rosberg confirmed in the first seat.

He was eventually joined by Schumacher, ending a four-year hiatus from racing in F1 to return to the grid.

However, his incredible comeback nearly didn’t materialise because Mercedes almost handed his race seat to fellow countryman Nick Heidfeld.

Although Schumacher struggled in Mercedes’ simulator, he helped the team develop into the powerhouse in the paddock they are today.

How Nick Heidfeld nearly stopped Michael Schumacher from returning to Formula 1

In an interview with Motorsport-Total, Heidfeld explained how he almost prevented the seven-time world champion from returning to the grid 15 years ago.

Heidfeld admitted he was ‘really relatively close’ to signing for Mercedes or McLaren that year.

He was closer to joining McLaren at one point before Button decided to take up the seat alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Talking about his contract situation for that year, Heidfeld said: “It really depended on Michael, who then made his comeback.

“I’d already had meetings with [Mercedes team principal] Ross Brawn where we discussed one thing or another.

“Of course it was annoying, but if you can get Michael back, who wouldn’t [you]? In the end, I was actually closer at McLaren. I almost got a place there again.

READ MORE: Mercedes chief shares why Michael Schumacher was so popular within the team

Heidfeld eventually ended up being signed as Mercedes’ ‘third driver’ and saw first-hand what Schumacher was like after so long out of Formula 1.

He continued: “Michael had an extreme standing in the team, although – I think I can say this from a neutral point of view – he no longer had the same peak performance as a few years before.

“When he spoke, there was absolute silence and everyone listened carefully. The way he worked with the team, in addition to the undisputed driving talent he always had, was what impressed me most.

“I had often heard or read about it, but to experience it first hand, how structured his approach was, how precisely he worked with the team, how he found out what needed to be analyzed now, where he couldn’t let up, in conversation with the engineers, that was really impressive.”

Nick Heidfeld was one of Formula 1’s nearly men during his 12 season career

Born in Monchengladbach, Heidfeld started karting at 11 years old, winning multiple championships before taking part in the International Formula 3000 series.

After finishing runner-up to Juan Pablo Montoya in 1998, Heidfeld secured the title the following year alongside his role as test driver for McLaren and Prost.

It was the latter who gave him his debut in 2000, although he failed to score a point during his first F1 season.

READ MORE: 23-year-old F1 driver told he could be this generation’s Nick Heidfeld if he’s not careful

A move to Sauber the following year earned him his first of 13 F1 podiums, before he spent time with Jordan, Williams, BMW Sauber and Renault.

He secured his only pole position in 2005 at the European Grand Prix at the aforementioned Nurburgring, although he couldn’t convert that start into a victory.

Unfortunately, Heidfeld ended up being one of F1’s most experienced drivers who never won a race.

Only Hulkenberg, Andrea de Cesaris and Kevin Magnussen took part in more Grand Prix than Heidfeld without winning a Grand Prix.

‘Quick Nick’ as Heidfeld was known would have been a sensible signing for Mercedes in their debut campaign, but bringing in Schumacher was ultimately the right decision even if he only finished on the podium once in his final three years in F1.