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Q & A with Nick Heidfeld

Q. Has the shock of the BMW withdrawal announcement lessened a bit in the two weeks since the news first broke?

Nick Heidfeld: I think the two weeks were enough time to let it sink in. It definitely came unexpected. Obviously, especially after Honda pulled out and with the worldwide financial situation, I was always careful on trying to see how things were going on in the background.

That already says that you were aware of some risk, but the feeling and feedback I always had was that we were safe and secure for the future. That is why it was a surprise and why it was quite a short term decision.

Q. Did you find out on the Tuesday night before the announcement?

NH: Mario Theissen tried to call me on the Tuesday but he didn't manage to get me. So Heike (Hientzsch, BMW press officer) called me on Wednesday morning and that is when I knew.

Q. So what is the mood like heading into the rest of the season?

NH: I think obviously BMW pulling out is a bad decision for everybody involved in Hinwil and Munich, but it is very important that they are committed for the rest of the season with all the planned updates - including here with the new aero package and the lightweight chassis. Plus the big effort we are putting in for Singapore with another big aero update, that is still going on.

First of all, BMW wants to leave on a high. They try to turn things around and not leave it with the season we have had so far. Even more importantly, for the team, we want to show what we are capable of, as we have shown in the previous years, to help find a solution for the next couple of years - so the team will still exist in the future.

Q. You've said in the past that you were confident you would still be driving in F1 next season. Have things changed for you now?

NH: I feel as confident as before. It was not certain that I would be with BMW next year, so I was already in talks with other teams before the decision was made public. Of course, that has become more intensive now over the last couple of weeks and yes, I am confident for the future.

Q. So you are close to a deal?

NH: It is always difficult to say how close you are. We are in talks with several teams and I think it is looking good.

Q. Honda was very generous when it gave the team to Ross Brawn, but that does not seem to have been the case with BMW and Peter Sauber. Is that frustrating?

NH: I think that is easier to decide once the year is over, and we'll see what really happens with the team next year. I know after speaking to Mario and Peter that they are working hard on securing the team for next year, and one should not forget that the situation for Honda under English law is a bit different than it is now in Switzerland.

For them, not only looking at the human side where you think the team must go on and people must keep their jobs, for them as a factory, as Honda, it would have been a lot more costly to let the team go down as they would have had to pay a lot more money. This situation at least for BMW, especially in Switzerland, is different.

So you cannot say that Honda sold the team for one Euro or one pound because they were such a nice team - they were also definitely looking at the financial situation because if the team would have gone down they would have had to pay a lot of money. Of course it would be nice to see Mario saying, 'here Peter, give me one Euro and the team is yours' - but that is not going to happen.

Q. With Honda and BMW gone, and rumours of others going, is F1 on a downward spiral because too much money was spent in recent years?

NH: It is always easier to say that afterwards but in hindsight it would have been better to not let the costs go up so much. It was said so much by the FIA and a lot of people in the past, but it was not easy to achieve that. There were cost reduction plans, like reducing engines, but the teams that wanted to win and had backing from the factory, just found some other areas to spend the money. Now, in the financial crisis, it was clear that some teams would pull out. It was right, but it was no easy to achieve.

I still think that is what is most important is that F1 will remain the pinnacle of motorsport and now with the agreement, those teams that have signed it have made it clear they will be there for three years which is a positive sign.

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