You don't often see two cars overtaken in one go - Theissen

In Malaysia, Nick Heidfeld once again proved that he is a true racer. While there is suggestion that it is difficult to overtake in Formula One, Nick managed to overtake two of his rivals in just one manoeuvre.

It happened on the fifth lap of the Malaysian Grand Prix: Renault driver Fernando Alonso has been stuck behind David Coulthard (Red Bull) for several laps. Nick observes the pair from behind in his BMW Sauber F1.08, and waits for his chance. Going into turn 14, Coulthard makes a mistake and the BMW Sauber F1 Team driver moves into his slipstream on the back straight.

"At first I didn't know which slipstream I should take, but then I opted for Coulthard," recalls Heidfeld. "Initially it was very tight on the left, but luckily Coulthard moved over to the right with Alonso. That gave me enough room on the inside." In the final corner, the German finally managed to overtake both Alonso and Coulthard.

With this manoeuvre, Nick even surpassed a similarly spectacular overtaking manoeuvre that occurred at the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix in Spa. This time it was Ricardo Zonta who, like Coulthard in Sepang, was taken in the middle. However, the Brazilian was a backmarker - and Mika Hakkinen managed to overtake Michael Schumacher. In Formula One it is very rare for a driver to pass two opponents at the same time, as Nick did.

"That was without doubt the best overtaking manoeuvre of the race," praised BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen. "You don't often see two cars overtaken in one go. It was a flawless manoeuvre. Nick moved over to the inside very early to cover the turn, didn't brake too late, and then the turn was his."