Heidfeld hopeful he can secure Formula 1 seat

The German lost his seat at the Enstone-based outfit ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, after the team felt that it needed a shake-up of its driver line-up and wanted to give Bruno Senna a chance.

Heidfeld briefly attempted to take the matter to court before a deal was agreed, which left the way clear for Senna to remain at the team until the end of the year.

Although there appear to be limited opportunities for Heidfeld to return, he has told this week's AUTOSPORT that he does not believe his F1 career is at an end.

"I am more than hopeful I can secure a seat," he said. "Next year's cockpits are limited but we are working on it.

"We already have sponsors interested in joining. But if this becomes the main reason to get a drive, then I can most likely not compete with a huge multi-million dollar backing."

Heidfeld's last full season in F1 was with BMW Sauber in 2009 and, after losing his place at the team, he spent a period as Mercedes GP test driver at the start of 2010 before being drafted back in by Sauber towards the end of the campaign.

After losing his seat again, Heidfeld was called up by Renault as replacement for Robert Kubica, who was seriously injured in a rally crash in February this year.