Nick Heidfeld admitted it had been difficult to keep his emotions under control in the closing laps of the Abu Dhabi after finishing in a fine fifth place on BMW’s Formula 1 swansong.
The season-ending event marked the end of BMW’s decade-long involvement in the sport, first as an engine supplier to Williams and since 2006 as a team owner, with it heading into the race determined to overhaul its former engine partner for sixth place in the constructors’ championship.
Heidfeld, who had qualified eighth with more fuel than all the cars ahead on the grid, used his longer first stint to move up to fifth, the four-point haul enough to see the team hit its finishing target.
Afterwards the German, who has been at the BMW Sauber team since its inception three seasons ago, expressed his delight that the carmaker managed to finish on a high, adding that it had been tough to keep his concentration up during the final laps.
The Hinwil-based Sauber operation, under new owner Qadback, has yet to be given a guaranteed place on next season’s grid.
"I am very happy with my fifth place,” Heidfeld said.
“It was a good race in which I was able to get the maximum out of the car and score four points, which was enough to reach our target for the end of the season to overtake Williams in the constructors' championship.
“It is a pleasing end to our last season together.
“It now becomes very emotional. During the last laps I had to pull myself together in order to keep my concentration.”
Heidfeld, who has only finished twice finished higher than fifth during a difficult season for BMW, was pleased with how the F1.09 performed on its final outing.
“After I have been a little unlucky in recent races, this time I was really able to exploit the car's potential.
“For quite a long period I was able to go at the same speed as the world champion's car, the Brawn.
“The strategy to go for a rather long stint paid off and the track was even more fun when it had more rubber on it.”
Team-mate Robert Kubica had started one place ahead of Heidfeld on the grid and ran fifth in the opening stint after winning a first-lap duel with Toyota’s Jarno Trulli.
However the Pole, who now leaves the team for Renault, slipped to an eventual 10th-place finish after losing time behind several one-stopping cars after his two stops and then tangling with Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi.
Nevertheless, Kubica says his chances of a points finish weren't helped by the sudden onset of understeer from the middle stint.
“The first stint was very good actually, keeping up the good pace of Barrichello nearly and then suddenly the car lost a lot of pace, a lot of understeer, I don’t know what happened,” he told reporters.
“It was very disappointing because the track was getting quicker, but I was getting slower. Very strange."