Nick Heidfeld - right place, right time...
To no one’s great surprise Nick Heidfeld has been confirmed at Lotus Renault GP, following his successful test in Jerez on Saturday.
The German should now get four more days of running at Barcelona and Bahrain before the first race.
“I would have liked to come back to Formula 1 in different circumstances,” said Heidfeld. “But I’m proud to have been given this chance. Everything has happened so quickly, but I’ve been very impressed by what I have seen so far in terms of the facilities and the dedication of the people at Enstone. I really enjoyed the test last week in Jerez and I’ve already settled in well with the guys at the track. I have a good feeling for the car, which is quite innovative. I’m extremely motivated and can’t wait for the season to begin.”
Eric Boullier added: “The team has been through a very difficult couple of weeks and we had to react quickly. We gave Nick a chance in Jerez last week and he really impressed us. He’s quick, experienced and is very strong technically with his feedback and understanding of the car. We always said the priority was to have an experienced driver in the car and we feel he is the ideal man for the job. We are pleased to welcome Nick to the team and look forward to a strong start to the season with him and Vitaly in Bahrain.”
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog 
I don’t think anyone would wish these circumstances to have come about…but its good to see Heidfeld back on the grid in what appears to be a competitive car.
And good luck to Kubica for a continued speedy recovery.
Best wishes to Nick and to Robert. BTW, I just noticed the element on the front wing going over the nose ala MP4-24, interesting.
^ that should be MP4-23. Still trying to figure out what this is, since I didn’t see it in the testing photos. Can anyone clue me in?
Oh wait, that’s probably the R28 with the new livery. That’ll teach me to post before I do my homework.
would’ve preferred a Raikonnen come back, but probably the right decision.