Heidfeld rues wrong tyre call by BMW
Nick Heidfeld blamed the wrong tyre choice in the second qualifying segment for missing a place in the top ten on the grid for the German Grand Prix
The BMW Sauber driver was one of several men who were caught out by the weather conditions, the German's team choosing the wrong tyres for his final run.
In the end Heidfeld finished in 11th.
"It wasn't too bad in free practice, I was tenth in Q1, and also in Q2 it looked as if I could make it into the top ten qualifying. But then we just had bad luck with our tyre choice," said Heidfeld.
"When the intermediates were overheating I needed fresh tyres for the final run in Q2 and I was personally uncertain what to choose - another set of inters or the softer slick compound. I left the decision to the team and they went for drys.
"I don't blame anybody, as it is always easy to know afterwards what would have been best. However, 11th isn't too bad and we are free to choose our fuel strategy. I wouldn't mind having a wet race tomorrow."
Team-mate Robert Kubica had a worse day, however, the Pole going out in Q1 after he struggled with the car's handling.
"We brought some new parts to the Nurburgring and the car made some progress," Kubica, 16th, said. "Unfortunately, my car didn't react how it should. I have struggled with my car's behaviour. As early as the first free practice session I noticed that something was wrong.
"Although the analysed data looked strange, we do not understand in detail what is going on. We now have to understand and fix our problem."
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