Heidfeld glad to be back in action

The German last drove at the Italian Grand Prix, when he was forced out of action with concussion following a pre-event testing crash.

He then suffered fractures in a bicycle accident a week later, which kept him out of the cockpit until the end of the season.

Speaking after his first day of testing for his new BMW Sauber team on Monday, Heidfeld said he was overjoyed to finally drive again.

"It has been more than two months since I drove the car and it is good to be back," he said. "The five races I missed were not bad because I simply could not drive the car.
 
"The recovery took a lot longer than originally expected, but I must say it was worse missing one race at Prost (when he was thrown out of the 2000 European Grand Prix for his car being underweight), as then I was able to drive.

"It was not just the bone healing, but the muscles and ligaments around them that took time."

Heidfeld added that his long absence from the F1 cockpit had made it difficult for him to judge on the power differences between the V10 engines he used this year and the new V8 power-units - although there were some new characteristics to get used to.

"Because I have not driven for so long, the difference in power does not feel so big and the engine would still feel strong," he said. "But in fact, it does feel so different to the V10. I will have to alter my driving style."

Heidfeld said that he did not have high expectations for the week's testing and claimed it was just a question of getting used to his new surroundings - and re-familiarizing himself with the team he last drove for in 2003.

"The programme is just getting the data and learning about the car," he said. "I have visited the factory twice in the last three weeks or so - and it is very nice. The team have expanded a lot more, but there I people I know still and it is only 15 minutes from my house."