Heidfeld Ready to Leave Sauber to be Champion

Sauber star Nick Heidfeld revealed today he is ready to leave the Swiss team at the end of his contract if he is given the opportunity to join a bigger outfit with more chance of Championship success.

German Heidfeld, who is now in his third year with Sauber, was backed by McLaren-Mercedes in the early stages of his career but was overlooked in favour of ex-Sauber teammate Kimi Raikkonen when Mika Hakkinen retired at the end of the 2001 season.

But he has not given up hope of hitting the big time and told Malaysian newspaper the Malay Mail: "I have ambitions to be a World Champion and to fulfil that I have to sign for a bigger team."

Heidfeld made his Formula One debut with Prost in 2000 and impressed against highly-rated former teammates Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, of Brazil, in the last two years at Sauber. Although he knows he must eventually move to another team to further his career he admitted: "I am in no hurry to walk away - I feel very much at home with Sauber.

"I will do the best I can to achieve our goals. In the forthcoming season, we are aiming to be at least as good as we were last year. My last two teammates have been quick but they were also young. No disrespect to the others but I can learn more from my new teammate (Heinz-Harald) Frentzen. He is a good teacher."