World Footy News

Lotus Renault F1 drivers Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov today had a crash course in Aussie Rules Football from Hawthorn's Buddy Franklin and Josh Gibson at the home of AFL, the MCG. As one of the smallest drivers on the grid at 163cm tall, Nick Heidfeld had his work cut out for him matched against the 196cm frame of Buddy Franklin.

 The Hawthorn footballers taught the internationals some basic AFL techniques before they took off to Adelaide for their round 1 clash against the Crows on Saturday night while the F1 drivers tack to the Albert Park circuit for their own season opener.

With 172 F1 starts in 11 seasons, German Nick Heidfeld is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid. At the opposite end of his career, Heidfeld’s Russian team mate Vitaly Petrov enters his second F1 season determined to build on the promise shown in his rookie season and make an impression at Albert Park for the opening.

The Hawthorn/Adelaide clash will mark 20 years since the Crows burst into the AFL with a thumping win over the Hawks.