Nick Heidfeld and not Jenson Button could well have been leading the Formula One world championship.

Instead, one of the most experienced drivers on the grid heads into this weekend's German Grand Prix 12th in the standings, 58 points behind Brawn GP's Button.

In the winter, Heidfeld had talks with the then Honda team over a deal to join them but, in the end, felt his prospects were better with BMW Sauber.

Just three weeks before the season, though, Ross Brawn took control of the Honda team and transformed their fortunes in spectacular fashion.

Heidfeld said: "I was talking with the team about a drive there for this season. In the end I decided against it and, when Honda pulled out, it made me think I'd done the right thing and made the right decision.

"But then the season starts and Jenson's winning the whole time and it's a case of 'oh no'. You can't help but think like that and kick yourself a bit. It's only natural as you want to be in the quickest car and ours is not the quickest car."

On current form, the German looks set for another weekend stuck towards the back of the field in front of his home crowd at the Nurburgring with Button likely to do battle with the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber up at the front.

But the 32-year-old, who grew up in Monchengladbach, just an hour away from the famous circuit, has been buoyed rather than downhearted by Button and Brawn's pace.

Heidfeld is still without a win despite 158 grand prix starts and having notched up "more podiums than I care to remember".

But he added: "I know I can be world champion and that's still the ambition. I certainly have the ability to do it but right now I don't have the car. It's nice to see Jenson in this position - he waited a long time for this. It shows how important it is to be in the right car."

Heidfeld may be in a different car altogether next season.

Suggestions are BMW Sauber are looking for a new partner to drive alongside Robert Kubica.

Heidfeld's management are already believed to have opened talks with other teams, Brawn included, but the former Williams driver is unfazed by all the speculation.

"BMW Sauber's line on this is that they don't make any announcements on the driver line-up each season until September," he said.

"So there's nothing I can say. I don't pay a lot of attention to F1 rumours - I've read enough about me that aren't true so we'll just have to see. I remember one claiming that I'd been seen kissing [ex-F1 driver] Alexander Wurz's then girlfriend behind a truck and I'd never even met the girl."

It remains to be seen what state F1 will be in next season following the latest row between the Formula One Teams' Association and the FIA.

The eight FOTA members, including Heidfeld's BMW Sauber employers, walked out of a meeting with the FIA yesterday after being told they could have no input on new rules.

And the FIA have claimed now that the teams cannot vote because they do not have full entries for next season.

FOTA said the row "puts the future of Formula 1 in jeopardy" and again raises the possibility of a breakaway series, the threat of which looked to have subsided following last month's agreement with FIA president Max Mosley.

Heidfeld described the on-going row as "damaging to the sport" and said he had no idea of the outcome.

"I genuinely want to stay in F1 and for F1 to stay as it is but who knows," he said. "I think a lot of people even involved in the discussions don't know what will happen."