Omission of Silverstone an enourmous loss - Heidfeld

The Formula One circus is moving to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, round eight of the 2009 Formula One World Championship season. However, this might be the last time that a F1 race will be held at the historic circuit.

Silverstone is at risk of being lost from the Formula One calendar for ever. One person who would mourn the loss of this legendary circuit is Nick Heidfeld: "I've always really liked driving at Silverstone, and I've been there many times. I first raced at the track in Formula 3000 and then did a lot of kilometres there in my early days as a Formula One test driver," says the BMW Sauber F1 Team driver ahead of the eighth Grand Prix of the year. "I've always enjoyed competing at the circuit but, despite the number of laps I've covered there, for some reason it has never been one of my showcase tracks like Budapest or Suzuka."

Fans of the BMW Sauber F1 Team will look back fondly on last year's British Grand Prix, when Nick produced a magnificent drive to overcome difficult conditions and claim a third podium finish of the year. "The 2008 Grand Prix was great," says Nick. "In the middle of all the chaos caused by the weather we opted for the right tyres, which allowed me to pull off several good overtaking manoeuvres and finish second."

Next year Silverstone is due to bid farewell to motorsport's elite class. Should this be the case, the British Grand Prix would move to Donington Park. Nick takes little pleasure in this development, as the German values the character of the circuit and the atmosphere over the race weekend.

"The whole opening section at Silverstone is fantastic - very fast and unmistakable. I would be really disappointed if Silverstone did end up being taken off the calendar," he says. "I've never found the circuit outdated - traditional yes, but not antiquated. In addition to the wonderful corners at the track, the very special atmosphere generated by the fans would be a big loss."