Head Praises Heidfeld's Technical Skill

Williams have made no secret of the fact that Nick Heidfeld's technical abilities and experience helped him clinch a race seat with the team this year â€" but the extent of his input into the outfit has already caused ripples throughout Grove.

Williams' former technical director Patrick Head has revealed that Heidfeld wasted little time in telling the team's technical partner BMW about ways to improve the running of its engine â€" and that a breakthrough was found that neither Juan Pablo Montoya or Ralf Schumacher had ever picked up.

Speaking to journalists about the factors which helped Heidfeld clinch the second Williams seat over test driver Antonio Pizzonia, Head said: "It wasn't just his speed, but the good way he managed himself and all the engineers â€" particularly the BMW engineers.

"He was actually able to point out some things with the engine management that, when they were changed, immediately gave lap time. We had been carrying these things on the car, in the way the engine was managed, for two years without anyone pointing it out."

Despite his technical abilities, Head was quick to point out that there is actually little to choose between Heidfeld and Pizzonia in terms of out-and-out speed.

"In terms of pure speed between him and Antonio there was nothing," he added. "You would do one test, one would be a tenth quicker, and the next day another would be a tenth quicker.

"In long runs they would lie right over the top of each other, but I think Nick's four or five years experience in F1, not much of it easy, gave him a jump start in terms of the way he worked with the team."