Heidfeld: ''BMW pulled the plug on the project far too quickly''

BMW left Formula 1 definitively at the end of 2008. However, after strong periods at Sauber and Williams where there was just not enough budget to win, it was decided that F1 was not the right platform for the brand.

The heyday of BMW

BMW returned to Formula 1 in 2000 as an engine supplier to Williams. Five good years followed with several victories and podiums, but BMW wanted more. The team had to be called BMW, but that stopped Frank Williams. BMW looked further and left for Sauber, where it was also successful again.

With Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, BMW managed to compete at the top, but was just short to fight for the title. In 2008 the focus quickly shifted to the new rules of 2009, but that turned out differently. BMW had missed the plank and finished lower than in previous years. The manufacturer pulled out the plug and hasn't returned since.

Left too early

In Beyond the Grid, driver Heidfeld looks back on that period and thinks BMW pulled the plug on the project too quickly. ''In my opinion BMW pulled the plug too quickly. Maybe it was the right choice in view of the financial crisis, but if you look at the results, you can see that they did a really good job.''

''If you can climb up like this with a small one like Sauber's, you take a step back once in a while. Too bad they decided to quit right then and there. Nowadays manufacturers put everything in it when they go for the title, but BMW didn't want to do that and then there isn't really a chance for a title'', concludes the German.