Nick Heidfeld started his career at the tender age of nine in the club championship of karting, club Kerpen-Manheim. By the time he was 13 he had come first in the DMV Karting Championship of Nordrhein-Westfalen as well as capturing a fifth place in the Nordrhein-Westfalen Cup. The following year, 1991, he came third in the ADAC Junior Trophy and was a member of the ADAC Junior national team and the winner of the International CIK junior run.

In 1992 he took fifth place in the German junior karting championship before gaining entry in the World Championship in Laval, France (Formula A). In 1994 he took victory in the German Formula Ford 1600 Championship when he won eight out of a possible nine races. This was followed by yet another victory in 1995 this time winning the FF 1800 International German Championship with four victories and five podium finishes as well as being the runner-up of the Formula Ford 1800 German Championship.

1996 saw him competing in the German Formula 3 championship, with the Opal Team BSR. He scored three victories, and finished third place overall. He also took pole position in the Grand Prix Macau, was the winner of the first heat and finished in sixth place overall. 1997 saw him move to Mercedes as a junior driver and he was signed as a test driver for West McLaren Mercedes. He continued to drive for the Opal team in the German Formula 3 championship and took the title. He was runner-up in the FIA F3000 International Championship in 1998 with victories at Monaco, Hockenheim and the Hungaroring.

1999 saw him take a test role with the McLaren F1 team as well as becoming the Formula 3 champion for the West team with 53 points for the season. He made his debut in Formula One in 2000 season with the Prost team, however the team endured a very hard year and his initial impression was marred by reliability issues.

Switching to Sauber for 2001, Heidfeld made his debut appearance to the podium with a third place in Brazil. He went on to secure eighth place overall with a total of 12 points, helping the Swiss outfit to fourth in the constructors battle. He remained with the team for the 2002 season, partnering yet another up and coming star, Felipe Massa. However the team slipped back to fifth place in the constructors' battle while Heidfeld only managed seven points overall.

2003 wasn't any easier for Heidfeld. The Sauber C22 was not as competitive as expected and the German was only able to score two points... until the team took a risky strategy at Indianapolis and got an excellent result and four valuable points. With the announcement of Massa's return at Sauber and the arrival of Giancarlo Fisichella in the Swiss team, there was no other choice for Heidfeld but to find another opportunity to drive in 2004.

It was a long winter for Heidfeld, who started testing with Jordan without being sure of landing a contract for the upcoming season but after many weeks of uncertainty, Eddie Jordan confirmed Heidfeld.

With Jordan in 2004, it was always going to be a bit of a struggle. The customer Ford Cosworth power was no match for the major manufacturers but Heidfeld managed to out-qualify his team-mates 15 times during the season - no mean feat in itself. Points were scarce with Heidfeld picking up a seventh position at Monaco and an eighth in Montreal.

While 2004 was something of a stop-gap season for the German driver, 2005 was his big chance as he joined Mark Webber at BMW Williams. Heidfeld's season got off to a great start as he secured three podium positions in the first seven races but all was not well with the BMW-Williams partnership. In July BMW announced that it was taking over the Sauber squad and that Heidfeld would be driving for the new team in 2006. On track, Heidfeld's performances tailed off.

Testing ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, Heidfeld suffered a large accident. Complaining of headaches, the team opted not to race the German at the Italian track and there and then his season with Williams came to a premature end.

Heidfeld resumed his Grand Prix career with BMW Sauber in 2006. Partnered initially with Jacques Villeneuve, he and the former Champion proved fairly evenly matched. Villeneuve and the team parted ways mid-season with test driver Robert Kubica promoted to the race seat alongside Heidfeld.

With Kubica proving rapid from the outset, Heidfeld was forced to up his game. His third position in the rain-hit Hungarian Grand Prix marked the team's first podium. Heidfeld finished the season in ninth position in the championship.

2007 would prove to be a strong season from Heidfeld as he secured podiums in Monaco and Hungary and only failed to score points on three occasions. The BMW Sauber F1.07 was no match for the Ferrari and McLaren challengers, but Heidfeld was comfortably best of the rest as he finished fifth in the championship with 61 points. He remains with the team in 2008 as the team target their first victory.