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{{Short description|German racing driver}}
{{Short description|German racing driver (born 1967)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox F1 driver
{{Infobox F1 driver
| name = Heinz-Harald Frentzen
| name = Heinz-Harald Frentzen
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| Team(s) = [[Sauber]], [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]], [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]], [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]], [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]
| Team(s) = [[Sauber]], [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]], [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]], [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]], [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]
| Races = 160 (156 starts)
| Races = 160 (156 starts)
| Championships = 0
| Championships = 0 (2nd in 1997)
| Wins = 3
| Wins = 3
| Podiums = 18
| Podiums = 18
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}}
}}


'''Heinz-Harald Frentzen''' (born 18 May 1967) is a German former [[racing driver]]. He competed in multiple disciplines including [[1992 World_Sportscar Championship|Sportscars]], [[Formula One]] and [[Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters|DTM]]. He had his most success in Formula, entering over 150 Grands Pix and winning three.
'''Heinz-Harald Frentzen''' ({{IPA-de|haɪ̯nt͡s ˈha.ʁalt ˈfʁeːn.t͡sn̩}}; born 18 May 1967) is a German former [[racing driver]]. He competed in multiple disciplines including [[1992 World_Sportscar Championship|Sportscars]], [[Formula One]] and [[Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters|DTM]]. He had his most success in Formula One, entering over 150 Grands Prix and winning three. He finished runner-up in the [[1997 Formula One World Championship]].


==Early career==
==Early career==
Frentzen was born on 18 May 1967 in the West German city of [[Mönchengladbach]] ([[North Rhine-Westphalia]]) to Heinrich-Harald Frentzen, a German entrepreneur and his Spanish wife Angela Lladosa. He has two sisters (Sylvia, a theologian, Sonja, a teacher) and two half-sisters (Samantha, a former student, and Nicole-Nadine). His family was connected to motorsport; his father raced between 1950 and 1957. Frentzen's parents divorced when he was eight years old and his father subsequently married Mexican-born Arazelli while Angela returned to Spain.<ref>{{cite news|last=von Lorentz|first=Frank|title=Ein Mädchen gibt Vollgas|url=https://www.welt.de/print-wams/article108518/Ein-Maedchen-gibt-Vollgas.html|language=de|trans-title=A girl goes full throttle|newspaper=Die Welt|date=4 April 2004|access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref>
Frentzen was born on 18 May 1967 in the West German city of [[Mönchengladbach]] ([[North Rhine-Westphalia]]) to Heinrich-Harald Frentzen (1933–2012), a German entrepreneur and his Spanish wife Angela Lladosa (1937–2020). He has two sisters (Sylvia, a theologian, Sonja, a teacher) and two half-sisters (Samantha, a former student, and Nicole-Nadine). His family was connected to motorsport; his father raced between 1950 and 1957. Frentzen's parents divorced when he was eight years old and his father subsequently married Mexican-born Arazelli while Angela returned to Spain.<ref>{{cite news|last=von Lorentz|first=Frank|title=Ein Mädchen gibt Vollgas|url=https://www.welt.de/print-wams/article108518/Ein-Maedchen-gibt-Vollgas.html|language=de|trans-title=A girl goes full throttle|newspaper=Die Welt|date=4 April 2004|access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref>


Frentzen began [[Kart racing|karting]] at the age of twelve, after his father brought him his first kart, and made an extraordinarily successful start.<ref>{{cite web|title=Frentzen: The man behind the wheel|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/1457107.stm|work=BBC Sport|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|date=25 July 2001|access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref> In 1981, aged fourteen, Frentzen won the German Junior Kart Championship. Two years later, Frentzen entered the CIK Asia Pacific Championships in Australia driving a Dino although he did not finish.<ref>{{cite web|last=Phillips|first=Sean|title=The 1983 CIK Asia Pacific Championships|url=http://www.kartsportnews.com/content2013/feat_1983cik-wa.html|publisher=KartSportNews.com|date=10 December 2013|access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref> In 1984, he finished runner-up in the 100cc class.<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ru:Вице Чемпионы формулы 1: Хайнц-Харальд Френтцен|url=http://www.avtosport.ru/f1_vice_champions_frentzen/|language=ru|trans-title=Vice champion of Formula 1: Heinz-Harald Frentzen|publisher=avtosport.com|access-date=23 October 2014}}</ref> He was funded and supported by his father—a [[funeral director]]—who also acted as both team boss and head mechanic.
Frentzen began [[Kart racing|karting]] at the age of twelve, after his father brought him his first kart, and made an extraordinarily successful start.<ref>{{cite web|title=Frentzen: The man behind the wheel|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/1457107.stm|work=BBC Sport|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|date=25 July 2001|access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref> In 1981, aged fourteen, Frentzen won the German Junior Kart Championship. Two years later, Frentzen entered the CIK Asia Pacific Championships in Australia driving a Dino although he did not finish.<ref>{{cite web|last=Phillips|first=Sean|title=The 1983 CIK Asia Pacific Championships|url=http://www.kartsportnews.com/content2013/feat_1983cik-wa.html|publisher=KartSportNews.com|date=10 December 2013|access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref> In 1984, he finished runner-up in the 100cc class.<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ru:Вице Чемпионы формулы 1: Хайнц-Харальд Френтцен|url=http://www.avtosport.ru/f1_vice_champions_frentzen/|language=ru|trans-title=Vice champion of Formula 1: Heinz-Harald Frentzen|publisher=avtosport.com|access-date=23 October 2014|archive-date=2 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402072210/http://avtosport.ru/f1_vice_champions_frentzen/|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was funded and supported by his father—a [[funeral director]]—who also acted as both team boss and head mechanic.


In 1985, Frentzen moved into car racing by entering the German [[Formula Ford]] 2000 series. After two seasons in Formula Ford he was runner-up in the 1987 series, despite not participating in all races. Frentzen progressed to German Formula Opel Lotus in 1988 in the Junior Team of former Formula One driver [[Jochen Mass]], who had been impressed by Frentzen's performances in Formula Ford. Frentzen was champion of the German series in his first year and his teammate Marco Werner finished third in the championship. He also participated in the Formula Opel Lotus Euroseries, where he finished 6th in the championship, scoring 56 points.
In 1985, Frentzen moved into car racing by entering the German [[Formula Ford]] 2000 series. After two seasons in Formula Ford he was runner-up in the 1987 series, despite not participating in all races. Frentzen progressed to German Formula Opel Lotus in 1988 in the Junior Team of former Formula One driver [[Jochen Mass]], who had been impressed by Frentzen's performances in Formula Ford. Frentzen was champion of the German series in his first year and his teammate Marco Werner finished third in the championship. He also participated in the Formula Opel Lotus Euroseries, where he finished 6th in the championship, scoring 56 points.


The next step was the German [[Formula 3]] Championship in 1989, where Frentzen competed against many future stars including [[Michael Schumacher]] and [[Karl Wendlinger]]. At the time, there was a big push by [[Bernie Ecclestone]] to have a German driver in the [[Formula One World Championship]], so the ONS (the German National Motorsports committee) decided to support both Frentzen and Schumacher. The ONS put up the reward of a Formula One test to the driver who first would take a victory in a Formula 3 race. This ultimately ended up being Schumacher, in a controversial race at [[Zeltweg Airfield|Zeltweg]], [[Austria]] in which Frentzen claimed Schumacher had forced him off the track. However, Schumacher did not get the Formula One test drive anyway; [[Karl Wendlinger]] won the German Formula 3 Championship and Frentzen became joint runner-up with Schumacher (the two finishing on identical points totals).
The next step was the German [[Formula 3]] Championship in 1989, where Frentzen competed against many future stars including [[Michael Schumacher]] and [[Karl Wendlinger]]. At the time, there was a big push by [[Bernie Ecclestone]] to have a German driver in the [[Formula One World Championship]], so the ONS (the German National Motorsports committee) decided to support both Frentzen and Schumacher. The ONS put up the reward of a Formula One test to the driver who first would take a victory in a Formula 3 race. This ultimately ended up being Schumacher, in a controversial race at [[Zeltweg Airfield|Zeltweg]], [[Austria]] in which Frentzen claimed Schumacher had forced him off the track; however, Schumacher did not get the Formula One test drive anyway. [[Karl Wendlinger]] won the German Formula 3 Championship and Frentzen became joint runner-up with Schumacher (the two finishing on identical points totals).


In 1990, Frentzen entered the [[International Formula 3000]] series driving for [[Eddie Jordan Racing]] and was partnered by [[Eddie Irvine]]. Frentzen finished the season 16th in the championship, scoring 3 points. In the same year, he also participated in the World Sports Prototype Championship driving a Mercedes-Benz C11 scoring one podium and six points. In 1991, Frentzen continued to drive in International Formula 3000, moving to Vortex Motorsport and scored five points in that year's series.
In 1990, Frentzen entered the [[International Formula 3000]] series driving for [[Eddie Jordan Racing]] and was partnered by [[Eddie Irvine]]. Frentzen finished the season 16th in the championship, scoring 3 points. In the same year, he also participated in the World Sports Prototype Championship driving a Mercedes-Benz C11 scoring one podium and six points. In 1991, Frentzen continued to drive in International Formula 3000, moving to Vortex Motorsport and scored five points in that year's series.
In the early 1990s, Frentzen was in a relationship with [[Corinna Betsch]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ca.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2014013116747/michael-schumacher-wife-corinna-schumacher/|title = Michael Shumacher in hospital: Profile of the sportsman's wife Corinna Schumacher and their marriage|date = 31 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/frentzen-set-to-take-on-schumacher-1.83317|title=Frentzen set to take on Schumacher}}</ref> After their relationship ended, Corinna later married fellow Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher. In 1999 Frentzen married Tanja Nigge.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.motorsport-total.com/formel-1/news/tanja-frentzen-heinz-braucht-keinen-haendchenhalter-02090804|title = Tanja Frentzen: "Heinz braucht keinen Händchenhalter"}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/press-releases/audi-signs-heinz-harald-frentzen-8413|title = Audi signs Heinz-Harald Frentzen}}</ref> Together they have three children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motorsport-magazin.com/fahrer/heinz-harald-frentzen-258.html|title=Heinz-Harald Frentzen Portrait, Chronik, Statistik – GT Masters-Fahrer|work=Motorsport-Magazin|language=German|access-date=19 July 2022}}</ref>
In the early 1990s, Frentzen was in a relationship with [[Corinna Betsch]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ca.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2014013116747/michael-schumacher-wife-corinna-schumacher/|title = Michael Shumacher in hospital: Profile of the sportsman's wife Corinna Schumacher and their marriage|date = 31 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/frentzen-set-to-take-on-schumacher-1.83317|title=Frentzen set to take on Schumacher|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] }}</ref> After their relationship ended, Corinna later married fellow Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher. In 1999, Frentzen married Tanja Nigge.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.motorsport-total.com/formel-1/news/tanja-frentzen-heinz-braucht-keinen-haendchenhalter-02090804|title = Tanja Frentzen: "Heinz braucht keinen Händchenhalter"}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/press-releases/audi-signs-heinz-harald-frentzen-8413|title = Audi signs Heinz-Harald Frentzen}}</ref> Together they have three children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motorsport-magazin.com/fahrer/heinz-harald-frentzen-258.html|title=Heinz-Harald Frentzen Portrait, Chronik, Statistik – GT Masters-Fahrer|work=Motorsport-Magazin|language=German|access-date=19 July 2022}}</ref>


==Formula One==
==Formula One==
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[[File:Heinz-Harald Frentzen 1995 Britain.jpg|thumb|left|Frentzen driving for [[Sauber]] at the [[1995 British Grand Prix]]]]
[[File:Heinz-Harald Frentzen 1995 Britain.jpg|thumb|left|Frentzen driving for [[Sauber]] at the [[1995 British Grand Prix]]]]


In 1994 Frentzen was given a Formula One drive by [[Peter Sauber]] in a [[Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines|Mercedes]] powered car, as teammate to Wendlinger. The following year in the now [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]-powered Sauber he got his first podium finish at the Italian Grand Prix and ended the year 9th in the Drivers Championship. However, the 1996 Sauber was unreliable, with many races ending in retirements and Frentzen dropping down the order, though he was one of only four drivers running at the end of that year's chaotic, rain-soaked Monaco Grand Prix. The race was won by [[Olivier Panis]].
In 1994, Frentzen was given a Formula One drive by [[Peter Sauber]] in a [[Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines|Mercedes]] powered car, as teammate to fellow Mercedes junior Wendlinger, who had made it to F1 in {{F1|1991}} and was in his second year with the team. Frentzen began the year strongly, qualifying fifth for his début in [[1994 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]] (albeit spinning off in the race) and scoring his first points with fifth in the [[1994 Pacific Grand Prix|Pacific Grand Prix]]. He was then thrust into the role of ''de facto'' team leader after Wendlinger crashed during qualifying for the fourth round of the season in [[1994 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]], leaving him with severe head injuries that ruled him out for the remainder of the year. Frentzen had the measure of substitute team-mates [[Andrea de Cesaris]] and [[JJ Lehto]], scoring points on three further occasions and finishing thirteenth in the World Drivers' Championship. A particularly noteworthy performance came in the [[1994 European Grand Prix|European Grand Prix]] at [[Circuito de Jerez|Jerez]], where he qualified fifth and ran third in the race. The team's decision to run a one-stop refuelling strategy caused his pace to suffer and he slipped back to sixth by the finish.

Sauber's performance was not sufficient to keep the partnership with Mercedes alive: the marque moved to [[McLaren]], leaving the team to acquire a supply of [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] V8 engines for the {{F1|1995}} season instead. The engines had powered [[Michael Schumacher]] to the World Drivers' Championship in 1994, but were now completely outpowered by the V10 and V12 engines used by the leading teams. The [[Sauber C14]] chassis was also uncompetitive at the start of the year, but Frentzen produced consistent performances to finish in the points on multiple occasions. The performance of the car improved with development throughout the year, culminating in Frentzen taking the team's first podium finish at the [[1995 Italian Grand Prix|Italian Grand Prix]] and qualifying a season's-best fifth in [[1995 Portuguese Grand Prix|Portugal]]. He also easily had the measure of his team-mates: first, the returning Wendlinger, who was then replaced by [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]] test driver [[Jean-Christophe Boullion]] mid-season. Frentzen's performance against the latter was particularly significant in the team ultimately signing him to drive for the {{F1|1997}} season. He finished ninth in the World Drivers' Championship with 15 points.

In {{F1|1996}}, Frentzen was joined by [[Johnny Herbert]] and Ford upgraded to a V10 engine configuration, promising more power. The unit was still lacking in performance compared to the top teams, and was also less reliable than the trusty V8 had been the previous season. Frentzen was therefore limited to just three points-scoring finishes&mdash;in [[1996 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]], [[1996 Spanish Grand Prix|Spain]] and [[1996 Japanese Grand Prix|Japan]]&mdash;whilst Herbert was also closer to him in performance than his team-mates in previous years had been. He finished the season twelfth in the World Drivers' Championship with seven points; by this stage, his move to Williams for 1997 had been announced.


===Williams (1997–1998)===
===Williams (1997–1998)===
[[File:HH Frentzen at 1998 British Grand Prix (edited).jpg|thumbnail|right|Frentzen at the [[1998 British Grand Prix]]]]
[[File:HH Frentzen at 1998 British Grand Prix (edited).jpg|thumbnail|right|Frentzen at the [[1998 British Grand Prix]]]]
For the [[1997 Formula One season|1997 season]], Frentzen replaced [[1996 Formula One season|1996 champion]] [[Damon Hill]] at the [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering |Williams]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] team. At the [[1997 Australian Grand Prix|first race of the season]], Frentzen took the lead at the first corner and remained there until his first pit stop. He was running second late in the race when a brake disc exploded, throwing him off the circuit and into retirement.<ref>[http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr598.html Grand Prix Results: Australia 1997] Grandprix.com Retrieved 13 May 2010</ref> He took his first win at the fourth race of the year at [[1997 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino]]. Frentzen followed this with his first pole position of his career at the following round in [[1997 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]], but did not finish the race. After inconsistency marked the first half of the season, Frentzen finished the second half of season with six point points scoring performances including five consecutive podiums. Despite eight front-row starts and seven podium finishes, Frentzen was generally out-performed by team-mate [[Jacques Villeneuve]], out-qualifying the French-Canadian only four times during the season. Frentzen was unable to secure another victory and finished third in the driver's championship standings with 42 points to teammate Villeneuve's 81. He would be elevated to second after the disqualification of [[Michael Schumacher]].
For the [[1997 Formula One season|1997 season]], Frentzen replaced [[1996 Formula One season|1996 champion]] [[Damon Hill]] at the [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering |Williams]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] team. At the [[1997 Australian Grand Prix|first race of the season]], Frentzen took the lead at the first corner and remained there until his first pit stop. He was running second late in the race when a brake disc exploded, throwing him off the circuit and into retirement.<ref>[http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr598.html Grand Prix Results: Australia 1997] Grandprix.com Retrieved 13 May 2010</ref> He took his first win at the fourth race of the year at [[1997 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino]]. Frentzen followed this with his first pole position of his career at the following round in [[1997 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]], but did not finish the race. After inconsistency marked the first half of the season, Frentzen finished the second half of season with six points scoring performances including five consecutive podiums. Despite eight front-row starts and seven podium finishes, Frentzen was generally out-performed by team-mate [[Jacques Villeneuve]], out-qualifying the French-Canadian only four times during the season. Frentzen was unable to secure another victory and finished third in the driver's championship standings with 42 points to teammate Villeneuve's 81. He would be elevated to second after the disqualification of [[Michael Schumacher]].


Renault discontinued factory support for the Williams engines in 1998. Williams also lost chief designer [[Adrian Newey]] to McLaren during the off-season. Consequently the team suffered a loss of performance compared to eventual title winners [[McLaren]] and Williams' 1997 title-rivals [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]. Frentzen would start the season with a podium at [[1998 Australian Grand Prix|Albert Park]], however this would be the highlight of Frentzen's year. He was unable to repeat the podium, and was once again out-performed by team mate Jacques Villenuve. Frentzen finished the season placed 7th in the championship with 17 points. Frentzen would depart Williams during the off-season after two difficult years, with the time considered disappointing due to difficulty adjusting to the different atmosphere at Williams compared to Sauber and disagreements with head engineer [[Patrick Head]].
Renault discontinued factory support for the Williams engines in 1998. Williams also lost chief designer [[Adrian Newey]] to McLaren during the off-season. Consequently the team suffered a loss of performance compared to eventual title winners [[McLaren]] and Williams' 1997 title-rivals [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]. Frentzen would start the season with a podium at [[1998 Australian Grand Prix|Albert Park]]. This would be the highlight of Frentzen's year, as he was unable to repeat the podium, and was once again out-performed by team mate Jacques Villenuve. Frentzen finished the season placed 7th in the championship with 17 points. Frentzen would depart Williams during the off-season after two difficult years, with the time considered disappointing due to difficulty adjusting to the different atmosphere at Williams compared to Sauber and disagreements with head engineer [[Patrick Head]].


===Jordan (1999–mid 2001) and Prost (mid 2001)===
===Jordan (1999–mid 2001) and Prost (mid 2001)===
[[Image:Heinz-Harald Frentzen 1999 Canada.jpg|thumb|left|Frentzen driving for [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]] at the [[1999 Canadian Grand Prix]], during his most successful season in F1]]
[[File:Heinz-Harald Frentzen 1999 Canada.jpg|thumb|left|Frentzen driving for [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]] at the [[1999 Canadian Grand Prix]], during his most successful season in F1]]


In 1999 Frentzen moved to [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]] in a straight swap with Ralf Schumacher and enjoyed success in the [[Mugen-Honda]] powered car, with two race wins and scoring points in the majority of races. During the [[1999 European Grand Prix]] he was leading after a pole position and with both Häkkinen and Irvine outside of the points (Häkkinen because he pitted for wets during a very very short shower period and Irvine because of a very slow pit stop where the rear right tyre was not ready in time) and with both outside the points and equal on 60 points and with him on 50, if positions wouldn't change, he would be equal on points with both Häkkinen and Irvine with 2 races to go. But on the 32nd lap, his Jordan stopped. Häkkinen went on to recover and finish 5th. Before the [[1999 Malaysian Grand Prix]] he was 12 points behind championship leader Häkkinen. But his title dreams were dashed on that race, with Frentzen finishing 6th, with Häkkinen and Irvine finishing 3rd and 1st respectively. With 1 race to go (and 10 points still available for drivers) Frentzen had 51 points, 19 less than championship leader Irvine. Frentzen finished third in the Driver Championship (22 points behind the world champion Mika Häkkinen and was regarded by many{{who|date=April 2019}} as the driver of the year.{{fact|date=April 2019}} After the strong season Frentzen was considered as a favourite to challenge for the championship in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Drivers: Heinz-Harald Frentzen|url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-frehei.html|work=GrandPrix.com|access-date=12 August 2015}}</ref>
In 1999 Frentzen moved to [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]] in a straight swap with Ralf Schumacher and enjoyed success in the [[Mugen-Honda]] powered car, with two race wins and scoring points in the majority of races. During the [[1999 European Grand Prix]] he was leading after a pole position and with both Häkkinen and Irvine outside of the points (Häkkinen because he pitted for wets during a very very short shower period and Irvine because of a very slow pit stop where the rear right tyre was not ready in time) and with both outside the points and equal on 60 points and with him on 50, if positions would not change, he would be equal on points with both Häkkinen and Irvine with 2 races to go. But on the 32nd lap, his Jordan stopped. Häkkinen went on to recover and finish 5th. Before the [[1999 Malaysian Grand Prix]] he was 12 points behind championship leader Häkkinen. But his title dreams were dashed on that race, with Frentzen finishing 6th, with Häkkinen and Irvine finishing 3rd and 1st respectively. With 1 race to go (and 10 points still available for drivers) Frentzen had 51 points, 19 less than championship leader Irvine. Frentzen finished third in the Driver Championship (22 points behind the world champion Mika Häkkinen and was regarded by many{{who|date=April 2019}} as the driver of the year.{{fact|date=April 2019}} After the strong season Frentzen was considered as a favourite to challenge for the championship in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Drivers: Heinz-Harald Frentzen|url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-frehei.html|work=GrandPrix.com|access-date=12 August 2015}}</ref>


[[Image:Heinz-Harald Frentzen 2002 French Gran Prix.jpg|thumb|right|Frentzen driving for [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]] at the [[2002 French Grand Prix]]]]
[[File:Heinz-Harald Frentzen 2002 French Gran Prix.jpg|thumb|right|Frentzen driving for [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]] at the [[2002 French Grand Prix]]]]


2000 and 2001 were critical years as Honda also began to supply the BAR team, resulting in a race between the teams as to who would secure the regular engine supply. In 2000 Frentzen managed two podiums, which were the best results for the team, but Jordan still finished down the grid and, crucially, behind BAR. After some low points finishes, injury, disagreements about the technical direction of the team (Frentzen reportedly offered to pay for the changes to fix the car, out of his own pocket){{fact|date=April 2019}} and then a string of retirements halfway through the 2001 season, Jordan sacked Frentzen and replaced him with [[Jean Alesi]]. Eight years later [[Eddie Jordan]] revealed that the termination of Frentzen's contract was a move to appease Honda and sign the Japanese driver [[Takuma Sato]] to race for the team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/april-2009/58/lunch-eddie-jordan|title=Lunch with Eddie Jordan|date=7 July 2014|website=Motor Sport Magazine|access-date=14 January 2020}}</ref> Frentzen subsequently took Alesi's place at the struggling [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]] team, and managed to qualify fourth at Spa, before the outfit collapsed financially at the end of the season.
2000 and 2001 were critical years as Honda also began to supply the BAR team, resulting in a race between the teams as to who would secure the regular engine supply. In 2000 Frentzen managed two podiums, which were the best results for the team, but Jordan still finished down the grid and, crucially, behind BAR. After some low points finishes, injury, disagreements about the technical direction of the team (Frentzen reportedly offered to pay for the changes to fix the car, out of his own pocket){{fact|date=April 2019}} and then a string of retirements halfway through the 2001 season, Jordan sacked Frentzen and replaced him with [[Jean Alesi]]. Eight years later [[Eddie Jordan]] revealed that the termination of Frentzen's contract was a move to appease Honda and sign the Japanese driver [[Takuma Sato]] to race for the team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/april-2009/58/lunch-eddie-jordan|title=Lunch with Eddie Jordan|date=7 July 2014|website=Motor Sport Magazine|access-date=14 January 2020}}</ref> Frentzen subsequently took Alesi's place at the struggling [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]] team, and managed to qualify fourth at Spa, before the outfit collapsed financially at the end of the season.<ref>''[[F1 Racing]]''. September 2001.</ref>


===Arrows (2002) and return to Sauber (2002–03)===
===Arrows (2002) and return to Sauber (2002–03)===
[[Image:Frentzen 2003.jpg|thumb|left|Frentzen driving for [[Sauber]] at the [[2003 French Grand Prix]]]]
[[File:Frentzen 2003.jpg|thumb|left|Frentzen driving for [[Sauber]] at the [[2003 French Grand Prix]]]]


2002 saw Frentzen drive for the Arrows team. He scored points on two occasions and outpaced both the Jaguars who ran the same engine. But the team went bankrupt in August and Frentzen was released from his contract. Back with Sauber for 2003, after a one-off drive replacing [[Felipe Massa]] at the [[2002 United States Grand Prix]], Frentzen was evenly matched with his highly rated teammate [[Nick Heidfeld]] and scored a podium finish in the penultimate race of the year in the United States.
On 30 December 2001, Frentzen was signed by [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]] for the [[2002 Formula One season|2002 season]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2001/dec/28/formulaone.formulaone2001|title=Frentzen takes pay cut to join Arrows|author=Alan Henry|publisher=The Guardian|date=2001-12-28}}</ref> He scored points on two occasions and outpaced both the Jaguars who ran the same engine. The team went bankrupt in August and Frentzen was released from his contract. Back with Sauber for 2003, after a one-off drive replacing [[Felipe Massa]] at the [[2002 United States Grand Prix]], Frentzen was evenly matched with his highly rated teammate [[Nick Heidfeld]] and scored a final podium finish in the penultimate race of the year in the United States.


==DTM==
==DTM==
[[Image:Heinz-Harald Frentzen 2006 DTM.jpg|thumb|right|Frentzen driving for [[Audi]] ([[Abt Sportsline|Abt]]) in the [[2006 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season|2006]] [[Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters|DTM]] season]]
[[File:Heinz-Harald Frentzen 2006 DTM.jpg|thumb|right|Frentzen driving for [[Audi]] ([[Abt Sportsline|Abt]]) in the [[2006 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season|2006]] [[Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters|DTM]] season]]


For 2004, Frentzen moved to the German [[Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters]] saloon car series to drive for [[Opel]], encouraged by the success achieved in the series by fellow F1 refugee [[Jean Alesi]]. However, his [[Opel Vectra]] was not a competitive car, and he was regularly outpaced by not only the [[Audi]] and [[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]] drivers but also by his Opel teammates, eventually finishing the season 14th in the championship standings. However he remained in the DTM with Opel for the 2005 season and finished the year in 8th as best-placed Opel driver, with his best result a 3rd place from pole position at [[Masaryk Circuit|Brno]] in the [[Czech Republic]].
For 2004, Frentzen moved to the German [[Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters]] saloon car series to drive for [[Opel]], encouraged by the success achieved in the series by fellow F1 refugee [[Jean Alesi]]. His [[Opel Vectra]] was not a competitive car, and he was regularly outpaced by not only the [[Audi]] and [[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]] drivers but also by his Opel teammates, eventually finishing the season 14th in the championship standings. He remained in the DTM with Opel for the 2005 season and finished the year in 8th as best-placed Opel driver, with his best result a 3rd place from pole position at [[Masaryk Circuit|Brno]] in the [[Czech Republic]].


After Opel withdrew after the 2005 season, Frentzen joined Audi for 2006. He would finish 3rd at the first race of the season at Hockenheim and again at the 8th race of the season at Barcelona. Frentzen finished the season 7th in the final standings and quit the team stating he had "no support from the team".
After Opel withdrew after the 2005 season, Frentzen joined Audi for 2006. He would finish 3rd at the first race of the season at Hockenheim and again at the 8th race of the season at Barcelona. Frentzen finished the season 7th in the final standings and quit the team stating he had "no support from the team".


==Later career==
==Later career==
[[Image:GumpertApHybrid.JPG|thumb|HHF Hybrid Concept Car (Gumpert Apollo)]]
[[File:GumpertApHybrid.JPG|thumb|HHF Hybrid Concept Car (Gumpert Apollo)]]
In April 2008, Frentzen drove the Bahrain race in the [[Speedcar Series]] of the 2007/2008 season and later on joined the Speedcar Series for the complete 2008/2009 season.
In April 2008, Frentzen drove the Bahrain race in the [[Speedcar Series]] of the 2007/2008 season and later on joined the Speedcar Series for the complete 2008/2009 season. He competed in the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] for [[Aston Martin Racing]] driving one of the two factory [[Aston Martin DBR9]]s with [[Karl Wendlinger]] and Andrea Piccini in the GT1 class. His team finished 4th in class and 16th overall.

He competed in the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] for [[Aston Martin Racing]] driving one of the two factory [[Aston Martin DBR9]]s with [[Karl Wendlinger]] and Andrea Piccini in the GT1 class. His team finished 4th in class and 16th overall.


Also in 2008, Frentzen built the HHF Hybrid Concept Car which he entered in the [[24 Hours Nürburgring]] with his own team. The chassis was a bought [[Gumpert Apollo]] road car with a [[Gumpert Apollo#Motorsport|3.3 litre V8 bi-turbo]] with 520&nbsp;hp and an electric motor with approximately 136&nbsp;hp. Frentzen finished the race but was not classified due to two conventional gearbox failures.
Also in 2008, Frentzen built the HHF Hybrid Concept Car which he entered in the [[24 Hours Nürburgring]] with his own team. The chassis was a bought [[Gumpert Apollo]] road car with a [[Gumpert Apollo#Motorsport|3.3 litre V8 bi-turbo]] with 520&nbsp;hp and an electric motor with approximately 136&nbsp;hp. Frentzen finished the race but was not classified due to two conventional gearbox failures.


In 2011, Frentzen won a special one-off "ROC Legends" race against [[Hans-Joachim Stuck]], [[Marc Duez]] and [[Stig Blomqvist]] as part of the [[2011 Race of Champions]].
In 2011, Frentzen won a special one-off "ROC Legends" race against [[Hans-Joachim Stuck]], [[Marc Duez]] and [[Stig Blomqvist]] as part of the [[2011 Race of Champions]]. In 2012, Frentzen competed in the [[2012 ADAC GT Masters season|ADAC GT Masters]] season with a [[Callaway Cars|Callaway Competition]] [[Chevrolet Corvette (C6)#Z06|Corvette Z06]], and returned to the series in [[2014 ADAC GT Masters season|2014]] with a [[HTP Motorsport]] [[Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG]] GT3.

In 2012, Frentzen competed in the [[2012 ADAC GT Masters season|ADAC GT Masters]] season with a [[Callaway Cars|Callaway Competition]] [[Chevrolet Corvette (C6)#Z06|Corvette Z06]], and returned to the series in [[2014 ADAC GT Masters season|2014]] with a [[HTP Motorsport]] [[Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG]] GT3.


==Driving style and appraisal==
==Driving style and appraisal==
Frentzen has been described as a "loyal" driver.<ref>{{cite news|last=Tremayne|first=David|title=Quiet man's noisy arrival|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/quiet-mans-noisy-arrival-1362425.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220509/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/quiet-mans-noisy-arrival-1362425.html |archive-date=2022-05-09 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=The Independent|date=8 September 1996|access-date=12 August 2015}}</ref> The monthly magazine [[F1 Racing]] noted that the key issue for Frentzen was finding the appropriate settings for his car which was done by himself.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Williams|first=Stewart|title=When Williams ruled Formula 1|journal=F1 Racing|issue=February 2009|page=68|issn=1361-4487}}</ref> In his autobiography ''An Independent Man'', [[Eddie Jordan]] said that Frentzen did a "great job" at driving the [[Jordan 199]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Jordan|first=Eddie|title=An Independent Man: The Autobiography|publisher=Orion Publishing|location=London, England|page=292|year=2007|isbn=9780752875347}}</ref> After leaving Sauber at the end of 2003, BBC Sport described Frentzen as a driver who "never quite made the most of a brilliant natural talent."<ref>{{cite news|title=Heinz-Harald Frentzen|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/2709271.stm|work=BBC Sport|date=26 February 2003|access-date=12 August 2015}}</ref> However, Sauber team principal [[Peter Sauber]] said in 2005 that Frentzen was the most important driver for his team but admitted that the driver needed to work in a specific atmosphere and referred to his time at Williams where he was in conflict with technical director [[Patrick Head]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Bishop|first=Matt|title=Everything is Fine|journal=F1 Racing|page=61|issue=September 2005|issn=1361-4487}}</ref>
Frentzen has been described as a loyal driver.<ref>{{cite news|last=Tremayne|first=David|title=Quiet man's noisy arrival|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/quiet-mans-noisy-arrival-1362425.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220509/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/quiet-mans-noisy-arrival-1362425.html |archive-date=2022-05-09 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=The Independent|date=8 September 1996|access-date=12 August 2015}}</ref> The monthly magazine ''[[F1 Racing]]'' observed that the key issue for Frentzen was finding the appropriate settings for his car which was done by himself.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Williams|first=Stewart|title=When Williams ruled Formula 1|journal=F1 Racing|issue=February 2009|page=68|issn=1361-4487}}</ref> In his autobiography ''An Independent Man'', [[Eddie Jordan]] said that Frentzen did a "great job" at driving the [[Jordan 199]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Jordan|first=Eddie|title=An Independent Man: The Autobiography|publisher=Orion Publishing|location=London, England|page=292|year=2007|isbn=9780752875347}}</ref> After leaving Sauber at the end of 2003, BBC Sport described Frentzen as a driver who "never quite made the most of a brilliant natural talent".<ref>{{cite news|title=Heinz-Harald Frentzen|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/2709271.stm|work=BBC Sport|date=26 February 2003|access-date=12 August 2015}}</ref> Sauber team principal [[Peter Sauber]] said in 2005 that Frentzen was the most important driver for his team but admitted that the driver needed to work in a specific atmosphere and referred to his time at Williams where he was in conflict with technical director [[Patrick Head]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Bishop|first=Matt|title=Everything is Fine|journal=F1 Racing|page=61|issue=September 2005|issn=1361-4487}}</ref>


==Other notable appearances==
==Other notable appearances==
Line 99: Line 100:


===Career summary===
===Career summary===
{{Expand list|date=June 2023}}
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%; text-align:center"
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%; text-align:center"
!Season
!Season
Line 111: Line 113:
!Position
!Position
|-
|-
!1985
!1990
|align=left|German [[Formula Ford]] 2000
|align=left|
|
|
|
|
|
|153
|9th
|-
!rowspan=2|1986
|align=left|German [[Formula Ford]] 2000
|align=left|[[Eifelland|Eifelland Racing-Albert Hamper]]
|
|
|
|
|
|49
|5th
|-
|align=left|European [[Formula Ford]] 2000
|align=left|
|
|
|
|
|
|0
|NC
|-
!rowspan=2|1987
|align=left|German [[Formula Ford]] 2000
|align=left|[[Eifelland|Eifelland Racing-Albert Hamper]]
|12
|2
|4
|2
|7
|338
|style="background:#DFDFDF"|'''2nd'''
|-
|align=left|European [[Formula Ford]] 2000
|align=left|
|
|
|
|
|
|0
|NC
|-
!rowspan=2|1988
|align=left|Formula Opel Lotus Germany
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:left"|[[Jochen Mass|Jochen Mass Junior Team]]
|14
|7
|9
|0
|8
|128
|style="background:#FBFFBF"|'''1st'''
|-
|align=left|EFDA Formula GM Lotus Euroseries
|3
|2
|2
|1
|3
|56
|6th
|-
!rowspan=3|1989
|align=left|[[1989 German Formula Three Championship|German Formula Three]]
|align=left|Team JSK Baumanagement
|12
|3
|3
|1
|6
|163
|style="background:#DFDFDF"|'''2nd'''
|-
|align=left|[[1989 Macau Grand Prix|Macau Grand Prix]]
|align=left|[[Watsons Water]] Team Schübel
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|N/A
|DNF
|-
|align=left|[[1989 British Formula Three Championship|British Formula Three]]
|align=left|Watson's Hong Kong Team
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|DNF
|-
!rowspan=3|1990
|align=left|[[1990 International Formula 3000 Championship|International Formula 3000]]
|align=left|[[1990 International Formula 3000 Championship|International Formula 3000]]
|align=left|[[Jordan Grand Prix|Eddie Jordan Racing]]
|align=left|[[Jordan Grand Prix|Eddie Jordan Racing]]
Line 121: Line 227:
|3
|3
|18th
|18th
|-
|align=left|[[1990 Macau Grand Prix|Macau Grand Prix]]
|align=left|[[Camel (cigarette)|Camel]] [[Alan Docking Racing]]
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|N/A
|DNF
|-
|align=left|[[1990 World Sportscar Championship|World Sportscar Championship]]
|align=left|[[Sauber Motorsport|Team Sauber Mercedes]]
|1
|0
|0
|0
|1
|6
|17th
|-
|-
!1991
!1991
Line 133: Line 259:
|14th
|14th
|-
|-
!rowspan=2|1992
!rowspan=4|1992
|align=left|[[1992 Japanese Formula 3000 Championship|Japanese Formula 3000]]
|align=left|[[1992 Japanese Formula 3000 Championship|Japanese Formula 3000]]
|align=left|[[Lola Cars|Team Nova]]
|align=left|[[Lola Cars|Team Nova]]
Line 144: Line 270:
|14th
|14th
|-
|-
|align=left|[[1992 24 Hours of Le Mans|24 Hours of Le Mans]]
|align=left|[[1992 World Sportscar Championship|World Sportscar Championship]]
|align=left|Euro Racing
|align=left|Euro Racing
|1
|2
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|N/A
|16
|15th
|13th
|-
|align=left|[[Porsche Carrera Cup]]
|align=left|[[Porsche|Porsche AG]]
|2
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|NC
|-
|align=left|[[1992 All Japan Sports Prototype Car Endurance Championship|All Japan Sports-Prototype Championship]]
|align=left|From A Racing
|1
|0
|0
|0
|1
|15
|20th
|-
|-
!rowspan=2|1993
!rowspan=2|1993
Line 165: Line 311:
|9th
|9th
|-
|-
|align=left|[[1993 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft|Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft]]
|align=left|[[1993 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship|All Japan Sports-Prototype Championship]]
|align=left|[[Mercedes-AMG|DTM Junior Team]]
|align=left|From A Racing
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|1
|0
|?
|0
|NC
|{{abbr|NC|Not classified}}
|-
|-
!rowspan=2|1994
!rowspan=2|1994
Line 339: Line 485:
|7th
|7th
|-
|-
! rowspan="2" |2008
! rowspan="3" |2008
|align=left|[[2008 24 Hours of Le Mans|24 Hours of Le Mans]]
| align="left" |[[2008 Speedcar Series|Speedcar Series]]
|align=left|[[Aston Martin Racing]]
| align="left" |[[Phoenix Racing (German racing team)|Phoenix Racing]]
|1
|2
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|N/A
|0
|18th
|16th
|-
|-
|align=left|[[2008 Speedcar Series|Speedcar Series]]
| align="left" |[[2008 24 Hours of Le Mans|24 Hours of Le Mans - GT1]]
|align=left|[[Phoenix Racing (German racing team)|Phoenix Racing]]
| align="left" |[[Aston Martin Racing]]
|2
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|N/A
|4th
|-
|align=left| [[2008 24 Hours of Nürburgring|24 Hours of Nürburgring - E1 XP]]
|
|1
|0
|0
|0
|18th
|1
|0
|N/A
|?
|-
|-
! rowspan="3" |2008-09
! rowspan="3" |2008-09
| rowspan="3" align=left|[[2008–09 Speedcar Series|Speedcar Series]]
| rowspan="3" align="left" |[[2008–09 Speedcar Series|Speedcar Series]]
|align=left|[[Phoenix Racing (German racing team)|Phoenix Racing]]
| align="left" |[[Phoenix Racing (German racing team)|Phoenix Racing]]
|1
|1
|0
|0
|0
| rowspan="3" |2
|1
| rowspan="3" |3
|1
|1
| rowspan="3" |44
| rowspan="3" |44
| rowspan="3" |4th
| rowspan="3" |4th
|-
|-
|align=left|[[Giovanni Lavaggi|Team Lavaggi]]
| align="left" |[[Giovanni Lavaggi|Team Lavaggi]]
|6
|6
|0
|0
|1
|2
|2
|2
|-
|-
|align=left|Continental Circus
| align="left" |Continental Circus
|2
|2
|0
|0
|0
|0
|1
|1
Line 414: Line 574:
|36th
|36th
|-
|-
! colspan="17" |{{center|{{small|Source:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Heinz-Harald Frentzen – driverdb |url=https://www.driverdb.com/drivers/heinz-harald-frentzen |access-date=14 June 2023 |publisher=driverdb }}</ref>}}}}
|}

===Complete German Formula Three results===
([[:Template:Motorsport driver results legend|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
! Entrant
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! DC
! Pts
|-
| [[1989 German Formula Three Championship|1989]]
! Team JSK Baumanagement
! [[Volkswagen]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|[[Hockenheimring|HOC]]<br />{{small|11}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|[[Nürburgring|NÜR]]<br />{{small|6}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|[[AVUS|AVU]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|[[Brno Circuit|BRN]]<br />{{small|9}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|[[Red Bull Ring|ZEL]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FBFFBF;"|[[Hockenheimring|HOC]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FBFFBF;"|[[Wunstorf|WUN]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|'''''[[Hockenheimring|HOC]]'''''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FBFFBF;"|'''[[Diepholz Airfield Circuit|DIE]]'''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|[[Nürburgring|NÜR]]<br />{{small|7}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"|[[Nürburgring|NÜR]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|'''[[Hockenheimring|HOC]]'''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|'''2nd'''
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|{{Tooltip|'''163'''|171 total score, minus dropped points}}
|-
! colspan="17" |{{center|{{small|Sources:<ref>{{cite web|title=Punktestand 1989 Deutsche Formel-3-Meisterschaft|trans-title=Points standings 1989 German Formula 3 Championship|url=https://www.formel3guide.com/1948-2022/saison-1981-1990/saison-1989/saison-1989.html?id=226|publisher=Formel 3 Guide|language=de|access-date=2 September 2023}}<br>{{cite web|title=Punktestand 1989 Deutsche Formel-3-Meisterschaft|trans-title=Points standings 1989 German Formula 3 Championship|url=https://www.formel3guide.com/images/punkte/1989-punkte-dm.pdf|publisher=Formel 3 Guide|language=de|access-date=2 September 2023}}</ref>}}}}
|}
|}


Line 438: Line 641:
! Points
! Points
|-
|-
| [[1990 International Formula 3000 season|1990]]
| [[1990 International Formula 3000 Championship|1990]]
! [[Eddie Jordan Racing]]
! [[Eddie Jordan Racing]]
! [[Reynard Motorsport|Reynard 90D]]
! [[Reynard Motorsport|Reynard 90D]]
Line 456: Line 659:
! 3
! 3
|-
|-
| [[1991 International Formula 3000 season|1991]]
| [[1991 International Formula 3000 Championship|1991]]
! [[Lola Cars|Vortex Motorsport]]
! [[Lola Cars|Vortex Motorsport]]
! [[Lola Cars|Lola T91/50]]
! [[Lola Cars|Lola T91/50]]
Line 473: Line 676:
! 14th
! 14th
! 5
! 5
|-
! colspan="17" |{{center|{{small|Sources:<ref name=MSportStats>{{cite web|title=Heinz-Harald Frentzen Results|url=https://www.motorsportstats.com/driver/heinz-harald-frentzen/results|publisher=Motorsport Stats|access-date=2 September 2023}}</ref><ref name=MSportMagDatabase>{{cite web|title=Heinz-Harald Frentzen|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/heinz-harald-frentzen/|work=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]]|access-date=2 September 2023}}</ref>}}}}
|}
|}


Line 496: Line 701:
! Points
! Points
|-
|-
| [[1992 Japanese Formula 3000 season|1992]]
| [[1992 Japanese Formula 3000 Championship|1992]]
! [[Lola Racing Cars|Team Nova]]
! [[Lola Racing Cars|Team Nova]]
! [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola T92/50]]
! [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola T92/50]]
Line 514: Line 719:
! 5
! 5
|-
|-
| [[1993 Japanese Formula 3000 season|1993]]
| [[1993 Japanese Formula 3000 Championship|1993]]
! [[Lola Racing Cars|Team Nova]]
! [[Lola Racing Cars|Team Nova]]
! [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola T93/50]]
! [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola T93/50]]
Line 531: Line 736:
! 9th
! 9th
! 8
! 8
|-
! colspan="17" |{{center|{{small|Source:<ref name=MSportMagDatabase/>}}}}
|}
|}


Line 560: Line 767:
! [[List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems|Pts]]
! [[List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems|Pts]]
|-
|-
|rowspan=2| [[1994 Formula One season|1994]]
|rowspan=2| {{F1|1994}}
! Broker [[Sauber Motorsport|Sauber]] [[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes]]
! Broker [[Sauber Motorsport|Sauber]] [[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes]]
!rowspan=2| [[Sauber Motorsport|Sauber]] [[Sauber C13|C13]]
!rowspan=2| [[Sauber Motorsport|Sauber]] [[Sauber C13|C13]]
Line 603: Line 810:
|
|
|-
|-
| [[1995 Formula One season|1995]]
| {{F1|1995}}
! [[Red Bull]] [[Sauber Motorsport|Sauber]] [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
! [[Red Bull]] [[Sauber Motorsport|Sauber]] [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
! [[Sauber Motorsport|Sauber]] [[Sauber C14|C14]]
! [[Sauber Motorsport|Sauber]] [[Sauber C14|C14]]
Line 627: Line 834:
! 15
! 15
|-
|-
| [[1996 Formula One season|1996]]
| {{F1|1996}}
! [[Red Bull]] [[Sauber Motorsport|Sauber]] [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
! [[Red Bull]] [[Sauber Motorsport|Sauber]] [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
! [[Sauber Motorsport|Sauber]] [[Sauber C15|C15]]
! [[Sauber Motorsport|Sauber]] [[Sauber C15|C15]]
Line 651: Line 858:
! 7
! 7
|-
|-
| [[1997 Formula One season|1997]]
| {{F1|1997}}
! [[Rothmans International plc|Rothmans]] [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]] [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
! [[Rothmans International plc|Rothmans]] [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]] [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
! [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]] [[Williams FW19|FW19]]
! [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]] [[Williams FW19|FW19]]
Line 675: Line 882:
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''42'''
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''42'''
|-
|-
| [[1998 Formula One season|1998]]
| {{F1|1998}}
! [[Winfield (cigarette)|Winfield]] [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]
! [[Winfield (cigarette)|Winfield]] [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]
! [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]] [[Williams FW20|FW20]]
! [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]] [[Williams FW20|FW20]]
Line 699: Line 906:
! 17
! 17
|-
|-
| [[1999 Formula One season|1999]]
| {{F1|1999}}
! [[Benson & Hedges]] [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]]
! [[Benson & Hedges]] [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]]
! [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]] [[Jordan 199|199]]
! [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]] [[Jordan 199|199]]
Line 723: Line 930:
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| '''54'''
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| '''54'''
|-
|-
|rowspan=2| [[2000 Formula One season|2000]]
|rowspan=2| {{F1|2000}}
!rowspan=2| [[Benson & Hedges]] [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]]
!rowspan=2| [[Benson & Hedges]] [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]]
! [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]] [[Jordan EJ10|EJ10]]
! [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]] [[Jordan EJ10|EJ10]]
Line 767: Line 974:
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[2000 Malaysian Grand Prix|MAL]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[2000 Malaysian Grand Prix|MAL]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|-
|-
|rowspan=2| [[2001 Formula One season|2001]]
|rowspan=2| {{F1|2001}}
! [[Benson & Hedges]] [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]] [[Honda in Formula One|Honda]]
! [[Benson & Hedges]] [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]] [[Honda in Formula One|Honda]]
! [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]] [[Jordan EJ11|EJ11]]
! [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]] [[Jordan EJ11|EJ11]]
Line 812: Line 1,019:
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[2001 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br />{{small|12}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[2001 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br />{{small|12}}
|-
|-
|rowspan=2| [[2002 Formula One season|2002]]
|rowspan=2| {{F1|2002}}
! [[Orange (brand)|Orange]] [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]
! [[Orange (brand)|Orange]] [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]
! [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]] [[Arrows A23|A23]]
! [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]] [[Arrows A23|A23]]
Line 857: Line 1,064:
| [[2002 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]
| [[2002 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]
|-
|-
| [[2003 Formula One season|2003]]
| {{F1|2003}}
! [[Sauber]] [[Petronas]]
! [[Sauber]] [[Petronas]]
! [[Sauber]] [[Sauber C22|C22]]
! [[Sauber]] [[Sauber C22|C22]]
Line 880: Line 1,087:
! 11th
! 11th
! 13
! 13
|-
! colspan="23" |{{center|{{small|Sources:<ref name=MSportStats/><ref name=MSportMagDatabase/><ref>{{cite web|title=Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Involvement|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/heinz-harald-frentzen/engagement.aspx|work=StatsF1|access-date=2 September 2023}}</ref>}}}}
|}
|}
<sup>†</sup> Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
<sup>†</sup> Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
Line 915: Line 1,124:
! Pts
! Pts
|-
|-
| [[1993 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft season|1993]]
| [[1993 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft|1993]]
! [[AMG-Mercedes|DTM Junior Team]]
! [[AMG-Mercedes|DTM Junior Team]]
! [[Mercedes-Benz W201|Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II]]
! [[Mercedes-Benz W201|Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II]]
Line 943: Line 1,152:
! 0
! 0
|-
|-
| [[2004 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season|2004]]
| [[2004 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters|2004]]
! [[Opel Performance Center|OPC]] Team Holzer
! [[Opel Performance Center|OPC]] Team Holzer
! [[Opel Vectra#Vectra C (2002–2008)|Opel Vectra GTS V8 2004]]
! [[Opel Vectra#Vectra C (2002–2008)|Opel Vectra GTS V8 2004]]
Line 971: Line 1,180:
! 3
! 3
|-
|-
| [[2005 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season|2005]]
| [[2005 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters|2005]]
! [[Opel Performance Center|OPC]] Team Holzer
! [[Opel Performance Center|OPC]] Team Holzer
! [[Opel Vectra#Vectra C (2002–2008)|Opel Vectra GTS V8 2005]]
! [[Opel Vectra#Vectra C (2002–2008)|Opel Vectra GTS V8 2005]]
Line 999: Line 1,208:
! 17
! 17
|-
|-
| [[2006 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season|2006]]
| [[2006 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters|2006]]
! [[Abt Sportsline]]
! [[Abt Sportsline]]
! [[Audi A4#B7|Audi A4 DTM 2006]]
! [[Audi A4#B7|Audi A4 DTM 2006]]
Line 1,026: Line 1,235:
! 7th
! 7th
! 24
! 24
|-
! colspan="27" |{{center|{{small|Sources:<ref name=MSportStats/><ref>{{cite web|title=Heinz-Harald Frentzen race results|url=https://www.touringcars.net/database/driver.php?name=Heinz-Harald+FRENTZEN|publisher=TouringCars.net|access-date=2 September 2023}}</ref>}}}}
|}
|}
{{smallsup|‡}} A non-championship one-off race was held in 2004 at the streets of Shanghai, China.
{{smallsup|‡}} A non-championship one-off race was held in 2004 at the streets of Shanghai, China.
Line 1,041: Line 1,252:
! {{Tooltip|Class<br>Pos.|Class Position}}
! {{Tooltip|Class<br>Pos.|Class Position}}
|-
|-
! {{24hLM|1992}}
! [[1992 24 Hours of Le Mans|1992]]
|align="left"| {{flagicon|NLD}} Euro Racing
|align="left"| {{flagicon|NLD}} Euro Racing
|align="left"| {{flagicon|NLD}} [[Charles Zwolsman, Sr.]]<br>{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Shunji Kasuya]]
|align="left"| {{flagicon|NLD}} [[Charles Zwolsman, Sr.]]<br>{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Shunji Kasuya]]
Line 1,050: Line 1,261:
| 6th
| 6th
|-
|-
! {{24hLM|2008}}
! [[2008 24 Hours of Le Mans|2008]]
|align="left"| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Aston Martin Racing]]
|align="left"| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Aston Martin Racing]]
|align="left"| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Andrea Piccini]]<br>{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Karl Wendlinger]]
|align="left"| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Andrea Piccini]]<br>{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Karl Wendlinger]]
Line 1,058: Line 1,269:
| 16th
| 16th
| 4th
| 4th
|-
! colspan="8" |{{center|{{small|Sources:<ref>{{cite web|title=Heinz Harald Frentzen|url=https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/track-record/driver/heinz-harald-frentzen-6694|publisher=[[Automobile Club de l'Ouest]]|access-date=2 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Complete Archive of Heinz-Harald Frentzen|url=https://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/archive/Heinz_Harald-Frentzen-D.html|publisher=Racing Sports Cars|access-date=2 September 2023}}</ref>}}}}
|}
|}


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{{Prost Grand Prix}}
{{Prost Grand Prix}}
{{Arrows}}
{{Arrows}}
{{Formula One drivers from Germany}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:Audi Sport drivers]]
[[Category:Audi Sport drivers]]
[[Category:Abt Sportsline drivers]]
[[Category:Abt Sportsline drivers]]
[[Category:Alan Docking Racing drivers]]
[[Category:Nürburgring 24 Hours drivers]]
[[Category:Porsche Carrera Cup Australia drivers]]

Latest revision as of 09:10, 2 June 2024

Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Frentzen in 2006
Born (1967-05-18) 18 May 1967 (age 57)
Mönchengladbach, West Germany
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityGermany German
Active years19942003
TeamsSauber, Williams, Jordan, Prost, Arrows
Entries160 (156 starts)
Championships0 (2nd in 1997)
Wins3
Podiums18
Career points174
Pole positions2
Fastest laps6
First entry1994 Brazilian Grand Prix
First win1997 San Marino Grand Prix
Last win1999 Italian Grand Prix
Last entry2003 Japanese Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years1992, 2008
TeamsEuro Racing
Aston Martin Racing
Best finish13th (1992)
Class wins0

Heinz-Harald Frentzen (German pronunciation: [haɪ̯nt͡s ˈha.ʁalt ˈfʁeːn.t͡sn̩]; born 18 May 1967) is a German former racing driver. He competed in multiple disciplines including Sportscars, Formula One and DTM. He had his most success in Formula One, entering over 150 Grands Prix and winning three. He finished runner-up in the 1997 Formula One World Championship.

Early career[edit]

Frentzen was born on 18 May 1967 in the West German city of Mönchengladbach (North Rhine-Westphalia) to Heinrich-Harald Frentzen (1933–2012), a German entrepreneur and his Spanish wife Angela Lladosa (1937–2020). He has two sisters (Sylvia, a theologian, Sonja, a teacher) and two half-sisters (Samantha, a former student, and Nicole-Nadine). His family was connected to motorsport; his father raced between 1950 and 1957. Frentzen's parents divorced when he was eight years old and his father subsequently married Mexican-born Arazelli while Angela returned to Spain.[1]

Frentzen began karting at the age of twelve, after his father brought him his first kart, and made an extraordinarily successful start.[2] In 1981, aged fourteen, Frentzen won the German Junior Kart Championship. Two years later, Frentzen entered the CIK Asia Pacific Championships in Australia driving a Dino although he did not finish.[3] In 1984, he finished runner-up in the 100cc class.[4] He was funded and supported by his father—a funeral director—who also acted as both team boss and head mechanic.

In 1985, Frentzen moved into car racing by entering the German Formula Ford 2000 series. After two seasons in Formula Ford he was runner-up in the 1987 series, despite not participating in all races. Frentzen progressed to German Formula Opel Lotus in 1988 in the Junior Team of former Formula One driver Jochen Mass, who had been impressed by Frentzen's performances in Formula Ford. Frentzen was champion of the German series in his first year and his teammate Marco Werner finished third in the championship. He also participated in the Formula Opel Lotus Euroseries, where he finished 6th in the championship, scoring 56 points.

The next step was the German Formula 3 Championship in 1989, where Frentzen competed against many future stars including Michael Schumacher and Karl Wendlinger. At the time, there was a big push by Bernie Ecclestone to have a German driver in the Formula One World Championship, so the ONS (the German National Motorsports committee) decided to support both Frentzen and Schumacher. The ONS put up the reward of a Formula One test to the driver who first would take a victory in a Formula 3 race. This ultimately ended up being Schumacher, in a controversial race at Zeltweg, Austria in which Frentzen claimed Schumacher had forced him off the track; however, Schumacher did not get the Formula One test drive anyway. Karl Wendlinger won the German Formula 3 Championship and Frentzen became joint runner-up with Schumacher (the two finishing on identical points totals).

In 1990, Frentzen entered the International Formula 3000 series driving for Eddie Jordan Racing and was partnered by Eddie Irvine. Frentzen finished the season 16th in the championship, scoring 3 points. In the same year, he also participated in the World Sports Prototype Championship driving a Mercedes-Benz C11 scoring one podium and six points. In 1991, Frentzen continued to drive in International Formula 3000, moving to Vortex Motorsport and scored five points in that year's series.

In the early 1990s, Frentzen was in a relationship with Corinna Betsch.[5][6] After their relationship ended, Corinna later married fellow Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher. In 1999, Frentzen married Tanja Nigge.[7][8] Together they have three children.[9]

Formula One[edit]

Sauber (1994–1996)[edit]

Frentzen driving for Sauber at the 1995 British Grand Prix

In 1994, Frentzen was given a Formula One drive by Peter Sauber in a Mercedes powered car, as teammate to fellow Mercedes junior Wendlinger, who had made it to F1 in 1991 and was in his second year with the team. Frentzen began the year strongly, qualifying fifth for his début in Brazil (albeit spinning off in the race) and scoring his first points with fifth in the Pacific Grand Prix. He was then thrust into the role of de facto team leader after Wendlinger crashed during qualifying for the fourth round of the season in Monaco, leaving him with severe head injuries that ruled him out for the remainder of the year. Frentzen had the measure of substitute team-mates Andrea de Cesaris and JJ Lehto, scoring points on three further occasions and finishing thirteenth in the World Drivers' Championship. A particularly noteworthy performance came in the European Grand Prix at Jerez, where he qualified fifth and ran third in the race. The team's decision to run a one-stop refuelling strategy caused his pace to suffer and he slipped back to sixth by the finish.

Sauber's performance was not sufficient to keep the partnership with Mercedes alive: the marque moved to McLaren, leaving the team to acquire a supply of Ford V8 engines for the 1995 season instead. The engines had powered Michael Schumacher to the World Drivers' Championship in 1994, but were now completely outpowered by the V10 and V12 engines used by the leading teams. The Sauber C14 chassis was also uncompetitive at the start of the year, but Frentzen produced consistent performances to finish in the points on multiple occasions. The performance of the car improved with development throughout the year, culminating in Frentzen taking the team's first podium finish at the Italian Grand Prix and qualifying a season's-best fifth in Portugal. He also easily had the measure of his team-mates: first, the returning Wendlinger, who was then replaced by Williams test driver Jean-Christophe Boullion mid-season. Frentzen's performance against the latter was particularly significant in the team ultimately signing him to drive for the 1997 season. He finished ninth in the World Drivers' Championship with 15 points.

In 1996, Frentzen was joined by Johnny Herbert and Ford upgraded to a V10 engine configuration, promising more power. The unit was still lacking in performance compared to the top teams, and was also less reliable than the trusty V8 had been the previous season. Frentzen was therefore limited to just three points-scoring finishes—in Monaco, Spain and Japan—whilst Herbert was also closer to him in performance than his team-mates in previous years had been. He finished the season twelfth in the World Drivers' Championship with seven points; by this stage, his move to Williams for 1997 had been announced.

Williams (1997–1998)[edit]

Frentzen at the 1998 British Grand Prix

For the 1997 season, Frentzen replaced 1996 champion Damon Hill at the Williams-Renault team. At the first race of the season, Frentzen took the lead at the first corner and remained there until his first pit stop. He was running second late in the race when a brake disc exploded, throwing him off the circuit and into retirement.[10] He took his first win at the fourth race of the year at San Marino. Frentzen followed this with his first pole position of his career at the following round in Monaco, but did not finish the race. After inconsistency marked the first half of the season, Frentzen finished the second half of season with six points scoring performances including five consecutive podiums. Despite eight front-row starts and seven podium finishes, Frentzen was generally out-performed by team-mate Jacques Villeneuve, out-qualifying the French-Canadian only four times during the season. Frentzen was unable to secure another victory and finished third in the driver's championship standings with 42 points to teammate Villeneuve's 81. He would be elevated to second after the disqualification of Michael Schumacher.

Renault discontinued factory support for the Williams engines in 1998. Williams also lost chief designer Adrian Newey to McLaren during the off-season. Consequently the team suffered a loss of performance compared to eventual title winners McLaren and Williams' 1997 title-rivals Ferrari. Frentzen would start the season with a podium at Albert Park. This would be the highlight of Frentzen's year, as he was unable to repeat the podium, and was once again out-performed by team mate Jacques Villenuve. Frentzen finished the season placed 7th in the championship with 17 points. Frentzen would depart Williams during the off-season after two difficult years, with the time considered disappointing due to difficulty adjusting to the different atmosphere at Williams compared to Sauber and disagreements with head engineer Patrick Head.

Jordan (1999–mid 2001) and Prost (mid 2001)[edit]

Frentzen driving for Jordan at the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix, during his most successful season in F1

In 1999 Frentzen moved to Jordan in a straight swap with Ralf Schumacher and enjoyed success in the Mugen-Honda powered car, with two race wins and scoring points in the majority of races. During the 1999 European Grand Prix he was leading after a pole position and with both Häkkinen and Irvine outside of the points (Häkkinen because he pitted for wets during a very very short shower period and Irvine because of a very slow pit stop where the rear right tyre was not ready in time) and with both outside the points and equal on 60 points and with him on 50, if positions would not change, he would be equal on points with both Häkkinen and Irvine with 2 races to go. But on the 32nd lap, his Jordan stopped. Häkkinen went on to recover and finish 5th. Before the 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix he was 12 points behind championship leader Häkkinen. But his title dreams were dashed on that race, with Frentzen finishing 6th, with Häkkinen and Irvine finishing 3rd and 1st respectively. With 1 race to go (and 10 points still available for drivers) Frentzen had 51 points, 19 less than championship leader Irvine. Frentzen finished third in the Driver Championship (22 points behind the world champion Mika Häkkinen and was regarded by many[who?] as the driver of the year.[citation needed] After the strong season Frentzen was considered as a favourite to challenge for the championship in 2000.[11]

Frentzen driving for Arrows at the 2002 French Grand Prix

2000 and 2001 were critical years as Honda also began to supply the BAR team, resulting in a race between the teams as to who would secure the regular engine supply. In 2000 Frentzen managed two podiums, which were the best results for the team, but Jordan still finished down the grid and, crucially, behind BAR. After some low points finishes, injury, disagreements about the technical direction of the team (Frentzen reportedly offered to pay for the changes to fix the car, out of his own pocket)[citation needed] and then a string of retirements halfway through the 2001 season, Jordan sacked Frentzen and replaced him with Jean Alesi. Eight years later Eddie Jordan revealed that the termination of Frentzen's contract was a move to appease Honda and sign the Japanese driver Takuma Sato to race for the team.[12] Frentzen subsequently took Alesi's place at the struggling Prost team, and managed to qualify fourth at Spa, before the outfit collapsed financially at the end of the season.[13]

Arrows (2002) and return to Sauber (2002–03)[edit]

Frentzen driving for Sauber at the 2003 French Grand Prix

On 30 December 2001, Frentzen was signed by Arrows for the 2002 season.[14] He scored points on two occasions and outpaced both the Jaguars who ran the same engine. The team went bankrupt in August and Frentzen was released from his contract. Back with Sauber for 2003, after a one-off drive replacing Felipe Massa at the 2002 United States Grand Prix, Frentzen was evenly matched with his highly rated teammate Nick Heidfeld and scored a final podium finish in the penultimate race of the year in the United States.

DTM[edit]

Frentzen driving for Audi (Abt) in the 2006 DTM season

For 2004, Frentzen moved to the German Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters saloon car series to drive for Opel, encouraged by the success achieved in the series by fellow F1 refugee Jean Alesi. His Opel Vectra was not a competitive car, and he was regularly outpaced by not only the Audi and Mercedes drivers but also by his Opel teammates, eventually finishing the season 14th in the championship standings. He remained in the DTM with Opel for the 2005 season and finished the year in 8th as best-placed Opel driver, with his best result a 3rd place from pole position at Brno in the Czech Republic.

After Opel withdrew after the 2005 season, Frentzen joined Audi for 2006. He would finish 3rd at the first race of the season at Hockenheim and again at the 8th race of the season at Barcelona. Frentzen finished the season 7th in the final standings and quit the team stating he had "no support from the team".

Later career[edit]

HHF Hybrid Concept Car (Gumpert Apollo)

In April 2008, Frentzen drove the Bahrain race in the Speedcar Series of the 2007/2008 season and later on joined the Speedcar Series for the complete 2008/2009 season. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Aston Martin Racing driving one of the two factory Aston Martin DBR9s with Karl Wendlinger and Andrea Piccini in the GT1 class. His team finished 4th in class and 16th overall.

Also in 2008, Frentzen built the HHF Hybrid Concept Car which he entered in the 24 Hours Nürburgring with his own team. The chassis was a bought Gumpert Apollo road car with a 3.3 litre V8 bi-turbo with 520 hp and an electric motor with approximately 136 hp. Frentzen finished the race but was not classified due to two conventional gearbox failures.

In 2011, Frentzen won a special one-off "ROC Legends" race against Hans-Joachim Stuck, Marc Duez and Stig Blomqvist as part of the 2011 Race of Champions. In 2012, Frentzen competed in the ADAC GT Masters season with a Callaway Competition Corvette Z06, and returned to the series in 2014 with a HTP Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.

Driving style and appraisal[edit]

Frentzen has been described as a loyal driver.[15] The monthly magazine F1 Racing observed that the key issue for Frentzen was finding the appropriate settings for his car which was done by himself.[16] In his autobiography An Independent Man, Eddie Jordan said that Frentzen did a "great job" at driving the Jordan 199.[17] After leaving Sauber at the end of 2003, BBC Sport described Frentzen as a driver who "never quite made the most of a brilliant natural talent".[18] Sauber team principal Peter Sauber said in 2005 that Frentzen was the most important driver for his team but admitted that the driver needed to work in a specific atmosphere and referred to his time at Williams where he was in conflict with technical director Patrick Head.[19]

Other notable appearances[edit]

Frentzen appeared on an episode in the 29th series of British motoring show Top Gear in 2020, in which he appeared as a rival for the presenters in a Germany versus Britain challenge.[20]

Racing record[edit]

Career summary[edit]

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
1985 German Formula Ford 2000 153 9th
1986 German Formula Ford 2000 Eifelland Racing-Albert Hamper 49 5th
European Formula Ford 2000 0 NC
1987 German Formula Ford 2000 Eifelland Racing-Albert Hamper 12 2 4 2 7 338 2nd
European Formula Ford 2000 0 NC
1988 Formula Opel Lotus Germany Jochen Mass Junior Team 14 7 9 0 8 128 1st
EFDA Formula GM Lotus Euroseries 3 2 2 1 3 56 6th
1989 German Formula Three Team JSK Baumanagement 12 3 3 1 6 163 2nd
Macau Grand Prix Watsons Water Team Schübel 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
British Formula Three Watson's Hong Kong Team 1 0 0 0 0 0 DNF
1990 International Formula 3000 Eddie Jordan Racing 10 0 0 0 0 3 18th
Macau Grand Prix Camel Alan Docking Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
World Sportscar Championship Team Sauber Mercedes 1 0 0 0 1 6 17th
1991 International Formula 3000 Vortex Motorsport 9 0 0 0 0 5 14th
1992 Japanese Formula 3000 Team Nova 3 0 0 0 1 5 14th
World Sportscar Championship Euro Racing 2 0 0 0 0 16 15th
Porsche Carrera Cup Porsche AG 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
All Japan Sports-Prototype Championship From A Racing 1 0 0 0 1 15 20th
1993 Japanese Formula 3000 Team Nova 9 0 1 2 1 8 9th
All Japan Sports-Prototype Championship From A Racing 1 0 0 0 1 ? NC
1994 Formula One Broker Sauber Mercedes 4 0 0 0 0 7 13th
Sauber Mercedes 11 0 0 0 0
1995 Formula One Red Bull Sauber Ford 17 0 0 0 1 15 9th
1996 Formula One Red Bull Sauber Ford 16 0 0 0 0 7 12th
1997 Formula One Rothmans Williams Renault 17 1 1 6 7 42 2nd
1998 Formula One Winfield Williams 16 0 0 0 1 17 7th
1999 Formula One B&H Jordan 16 2 1 0 6 54 3rd
2000 Formula One B&H Jordan 17 0 0 0 2 11 9th
2001 Formula One B&H Jordan Honda 10 0 0 0 0 6 13th
Prost Acer 5 0 0 0 0
2002 Formula One Orange Arrows 11 0 0 0 0 2 18th
Sauber Petronas 1 0 0 0 0
2003 Formula One Sauber Petronas 15 0 0 0 1 13 11th
2004 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters OPC Team Holzer 11 0 0 0 0 3 14th
2005 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters OPC Team Holzer 11 0 0 0 2 17 8th
2006 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Abt Sportsline 10 0 1 0 2 24 7th
2008 Speedcar Series Phoenix Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 18th
24 Hours of Le Mans - GT1 Aston Martin Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 4th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - E1 XP 1 0 0 1 0 N/A ?
2008-09 Speedcar Series Phoenix Racing 1 0 0 1 1 44 4th
Team Lavaggi 6 0 1 2 2
Continental Circus 2 0 0 0 1
2011 ADAC GT Masters Callaway Competition 16 0 0 1 0 16 30th
2012 ADAC GT Masters Callaway Competition 15 0 0 0 0 48 17th
2014 ADAC GT Masters HTP Motorsport 8 0 0 0 0 6 36th
Source:[21]

Complete German Formula Three results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DC Pts
1989 Team JSK Baumanagement Volkswagen HOC
11
NÜR
6
AVU
5
BRN
9
ZEL
2
HOC
1
WUN
1
HOC
2
DIE
1
NÜR
7
NÜR
Ret
HOC
2
2nd 163
Sources:[22]

Complete International Formula 3000 results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points
1990 Eddie Jordan Racing Reynard 90D Mugen DON
Ret
SIL
Ret
PAU
Ret
JER
17
MNZ
Ret
PER
5
HOC
6
BRH
7
BIR
Ret
BUG
Ret
NOG
DNQ
18th 3
1991 Vortex Motorsport Lola T91/50 Mugen VAL
Ret
PAU
Ret
JER
12
MUG
6
PER
5
HOC
DNQ
BRH
12
SPA
5
BUG
Ret
NOG
Ret
14th 5
Sources:[23][24]

Complete Japanese Formula 3000 results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points
1992 Team Nova Lola T92/50 Mugen SUZ FUJ MIN SUZ AUT SUG FUJ FUJ SUZ
6
FUJ
7
SUZ
3
14th 5
1993 Team Nova Lola T93/50 Mugen SUZ
Ret
FUJ
Ret
MIN
Ret
SUZ
8
SUG
14
FUJ
2
SUZ
10
FUJ
12
SUZ
5
9th 8
Source:[24]

Complete Formula One results[edit]

(key) (races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 WDC Pts
1994 Broker Sauber Mercedes Sauber C13 Mercedes 2175B 3.5 V10 BRA
Ret
PAC
5
SMR
7
MON
WD
ESP
Ret
CAN
Ret
13th 7
Sauber Mercedes FRA
4
GBR
7
GER
Ret
HUN
Ret
BEL
Ret
ITA
Ret
POR
Ret
EUR
6
JPN
6
AUS
7
1995 Red Bull Sauber Ford Sauber C14 Ford ECA Zetec-R 3.0 V8 BRA
Ret
ARG
5
SMR
6
ESP
8
MON
6
CAN
Ret
FRA
10
GBR
6
GER
Ret
HUN
5
BEL
4
ITA
3
POR
6
EUR
Ret
PAC
7
JPN
8
AUS
Ret
9th 15
1996 Red Bull Sauber Ford Sauber C15 Ford JD Zetec-R 3.0 V10 AUS
8
BRA
Ret
ARG
Ret
EUR
Ret
SMR
Ret
MON
4
ESP
4
CAN
Ret
FRA
Ret
GBR
8
GER
8
HUN
Ret
BEL
Ret
ITA
Ret
POR
7
JPN
6
12th 7
1997 Rothmans Williams Renault Williams FW19 Renault RS9 3.0 V10 AUS
8
BRA
9
ARG
Ret
SMR
1
MON
Ret
ESP
8
CAN
4
FRA
2
GBR
Ret
GER
Ret
HUN
Ret
BEL
3
ITA
3
AUT
3
LUX
3
JPN
2
EUR
6
2nd 42
1998 Winfield Williams Williams FW20 Mecachrome GC37-01 V10 AUS
3
BRA
5
ARG
9
SMR
5
ESP
8
MON
Ret
CAN
Ret
FRA
15
GBR
Ret
AUT
Ret
GER
9
HUN
5
BEL
4
ITA
7
LUX
5
JPN
5
7th 17
1999 Benson & Hedges Jordan Jordan 199 Mugen Honda MF-301 HD 3.0 V10 AUS
2
BRA
3
SMR
Ret
MON
4
ESP
Ret
CAN
11
FRA
1
GBR
4
AUT
4
GER
3
HUN
4
BEL
3
ITA
1
EUR
Ret
MAL
6
JPN
4
3rd 54
2000 Benson & Hedges Jordan Jordan EJ10 Mugen Honda MF-301 HD 3.0 V10 AUS
Ret
BRA
3
SMR
Ret
GBR
17
ESP
6
EUR
Ret
MON
10
CAN
Ret
FRA
7
AUT
Ret
9th 11
Jordan EJ10B Mugen Honda MF-301 HE 3.0 V10 GER
Ret
HUN
6
BEL
6
ITA
Ret
USA
3
JPN
Ret
MAL
Ret
2001 Benson & Hedges Jordan Honda Jordan EJ11 Honda RA001E 3.0 V10 AUS
5
MAL
4
BRA
11
SMR
6
ESP
Ret
AUT
Ret
MON
Ret
CAN
PO
EUR
Ret
FRA
8
GBR
7
GER 13th 6
Prost Acer Prost AP04 Acer 3.0 V10 HUN
Ret
BEL
9
ITA
Ret
USA
10
JPN
12
2002 Orange Arrows Arrows A23 Cosworth CR-3 3.0 V10 AUS
DSQ
MAL
11
BRA
Ret
SMR
Ret
ESP
6
AUT
11
MON
6
CAN
13
EUR
13
GBR
Ret
FRA
DNQ
GER
Ret
HUN BEL ITA 18th 2
Sauber Petronas Sauber C21 Petronas 02A 3.0 V10 USA
13
JPN
2003 Sauber Petronas Sauber C22 Petronas 03A 3.0 V10 AUS
6
MAL
9
BRA
5
SMR
11
ESP
Ret
AUT
DNS
MON
Ret
CAN
Ret
EUR
9
FRA
12
GBR
12
GER
Ret
HUN
Ret
ITA
13
USA
3
JPN
Ret
11th 13
Sources:[23][24][25]

Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft/Masters results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Pos. Pts
1993 DTM Junior Team Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II ZOL
1
ZOL
2
HOC
1
HOC
2
NÜR
1
NÜR
2
WUN
1
WUN
2
NÜR
1
NÜR
2
NOR
1
NOR
2
DON
1
DON
2
DIE
1
DIE
2
ALE
1
ALE
2
AVU
1
AVU
2
HOC
1

DNS
HOC
2

DNS
NC 0
2004 OPC Team Holzer Opel Vectra GTS V8 2004 HOC
11
EST
12
ADR
12
LAU
Ret
NOR
Ret
SHA
7
NÜR
Ret
OSC
14
ZAN
Ret
BRN
6
HOC
12
14th 3
2005 OPC Team Holzer Opel Vectra GTS V8 2005 HOC
Ret
LAU
14
SPA
15
BRN
3
OSC
14
NOR
6
NÜR
12
ZAN
3
LAU
7
IST
Ret
HOC
18
8th 17
2006 Abt Sportsline Audi A4 DTM 2006 HOC
3
LAU
13
OSC
4
BRH
17
NOR
11
NÜR
6
ZAN
5
CAT
3
BUG
10
HOC
14
7th 24
Sources:[23][26]

A non-championship one-off race was held in 2004 at the streets of Shanghai, China.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results[edit]

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1992 Netherlands Euro Racing Netherlands Charles Zwolsman, Sr.
Japan Shunji Kasuya
Lola T92/10-Judd C1 271 13th 6th
2008 United Kingdom Aston Martin Racing Italy Andrea Piccini
Austria Karl Wendlinger
Aston Martin DBR9 GT1 339 16th 4th
Sources:[27][28]

References[edit]

  1. ^ von Lorentz, Frank (4 April 2004). "Ein Mädchen gibt Vollgas" [A girl goes full throttle]. Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  2. ^ "Frentzen: The man behind the wheel". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 25 July 2001. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  3. ^ Phillips, Sean (10 December 2013). "The 1983 CIK Asia Pacific Championships". KartSportNews.com. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  4. ^ Вице Чемпионы формулы 1: Хайнц-Харальд Френтцен [Vice champion of Formula 1: Heinz-Harald Frentzen] (in Russian). avtosport.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  5. ^ "Michael Shumacher in hospital: Profile of the sportsman's wife Corinna Schumacher and their marriage". 31 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Frentzen set to take on Schumacher". The Irish Times.
  7. ^ "Tanja Frentzen: "Heinz braucht keinen Händchenhalter"".
  8. ^ "Audi signs Heinz-Harald Frentzen".
  9. ^ "Heinz-Harald Frentzen Portrait, Chronik, Statistik – GT Masters-Fahrer". Motorsport-Magazin (in German). Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  10. ^ Grand Prix Results: Australia 1997 Grandprix.com Retrieved 13 May 2010
  11. ^ "Drivers: Heinz-Harald Frentzen". GrandPrix.com. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  12. ^ "Lunch with Eddie Jordan". Motor Sport Magazine. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  13. ^ F1 Racing. September 2001.
  14. ^ Alan Henry (28 December 2001). "Frentzen takes pay cut to join Arrows". The Guardian.
  15. ^ Tremayne, David (8 September 1996). "Quiet man's noisy arrival". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  16. ^ Williams, Stewart. "When Williams ruled Formula 1". F1 Racing (February 2009): 68. ISSN 1361-4487.
  17. ^ Jordan, Eddie (2007). An Independent Man: The Autobiography. London, England: Orion Publishing. p. 292. ISBN 9780752875347.
  18. ^ "Heinz-Harald Frentzen". BBC Sport. 26 February 2003. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  19. ^ Bishop, Matt. "Everything is Fine". F1 Racing (September 2005): 61. ISSN 1361-4487.
  20. ^ "BBC One - Top Gear, Series 29, Episode 4". BBC. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  21. ^ "Heinz-Harald Frentzen – driverdb". driverdb. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  22. ^ "Punktestand 1989 Deutsche Formel-3-Meisterschaft" [Points standings 1989 German Formula 3 Championship] (in German). Formel 3 Guide. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
    "Punktestand 1989 Deutsche Formel-3-Meisterschaft" [Points standings 1989 German Formula 3 Championship] (PDF) (in German). Formel 3 Guide. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  23. ^ a b c "Heinz-Harald Frentzen Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  24. ^ a b c "Heinz-Harald Frentzen". Motor Sport. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  25. ^ "Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Involvement". StatsF1. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  26. ^ "Heinz-Harald Frentzen race results". TouringCars.net. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  27. ^ "Heinz Harald Frentzen". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  28. ^ "Complete Archive of Heinz-Harald Frentzen". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 2 September 2023.

External links[edit]