JULY 7, 2003

Heidfeld and Jaguar

Nick Heidfeld is tipped to be recruited next year by Jaguar Racing to replace Antonio Pizzonia. Heidfeld is coming to the end of his contract with Sauber and is looking to see what else is available. Heidfeld's manager Werner Heinz spent a lot of time last weekend with Jaguar management although it is not thought that any deal is done.

Mercedes-Benz is believed to have an option on his services for one more season, but it is unlikely that the German car company is going to take up the option. That will only happen if there is a customer supply of engines to another team and although such a deal has been discussed with Jordan it remains to be seen whether this will ever actually become a reality.

Heidfeld has done well at Sauber against highly-rated team mate Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa although there remain doubts as to whether he is a Grand Prix winner. He is, however, highly experienced and a good team player and the presence of a German in the team would help to boost the profile of Jaguar products in Germany, one of the company's key target markets.