Nick Heidfeld Tests Pirelli F1 Tyres at Tuscany’s Mugello Circuit

Former BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld appears to have been given the permanent job of Formula One tyre tester for Pirelli, as motorsport news sources report that he took to the Mugello Circuit near Florence in the manufacturer’s home country. Heidfeld will pilot the 2009 Toyota TF109 around the Italian circuit over the next two days, while reports suggest the tyre-maker is to travel to the Jerez, Monza and Paul Ricard circuits too as Pirelli readies its rubber for the start of the 2011 season when it takes over from Bridgestone as F1’s exclusive tyre supplier.

Crash.net focuses on the implications for the Mercedes GP team, which is in a sense defending its title this season, albeit not in the Brawn GP name and without either of its 2009 drivers. Heidfeld is the current test and reserve driver behind Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, both of whom have struggled to hold their own against strong McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull teams. With development on their 2010 car halted and Schumacher performing some way below the highs he experienced before his first retirement, it looks as though Renault will beat the team to the best-of-the-rest fourth position. Losing Heidfeld to Pirelli looks like the sickly icing on a cake that has failed to rise for the team’s 2010 season.