Formula One This article is more than 22 years oldSchumachers in show of sympathy for Frentzen
This article is more than 22 years oldMichael and Ralf Schumacher put on a united front in support of their compatriot Heinz-Harald Frentzen yesterday, 24 hours after he had been fired by the Jordan team.
As the teams gathered at Hockenheim, where first practice for Sunday's German grand prix starts this morning, the Schumachers ganged up in their criticism of Eddie Jordan, for whom they both made formula one debuts, Michael in 1991 and Ralf six years later.
"When times are difficult you have to stick with a driver," said Michael. "That's a problem we have seen before. Certainly I am not very happy seeing what has happened to Heinz-Harald, but I suppose he might get a better opportunity now."
"I feel sorry for Heinz," said Ralf. "Obviously we don't know the reasons for it, but I had problems when I was with the team. It happens sometimes and if people just don't want to work together any more, then it's best to stop. It doesn't help anyone. But I am sure next year Heinz will be with us again in a different team and if that's the case then I'm sure it will be a better option for him anyway."
Cynics might have been forgiven for detecting a touch of schadenfreude about Michael's tribute to his old rival, which came close to damning Frentzen with faint praise. The two have been adversaries since they raced together in the Mercedes sports car team in 1990 and the relationship did not improve when Schumacher married Frentzen's former girfriend, Corinna Betsch, seven years ago.
There have been tensions on the track as well. In 1999 Schumacher accelerated out of the pits during the Canadian grand prix and straight on to the racing line, forcing Frentzen, who was poised to take the lead, to spin off. Frentzen was furious but Schumacher claimed it was an innocent error and offered a grudging apology.
Yesterday he did his best to be more sympathetic. "Like Ralf, I also feel very sorry for Heinz-Harald," he said. "It's a bit of a shame because they [Jordan and Frentzen] had a good time together in 1999, which means as a driver he cannot be too bad."
There was speculation yesterday that Jordan originally wanted to ditch Frentzen immediately after his home race at Hockenheim to placate the team's major sponsor, Deutsche Post World Net.
It is understood Frentzen refused to accept this and so was fired two days before the start of practice. He is believed to be holidaying in Spain and will not attend Sunday's race, where Brazil's Ricardo Zonta will drive the second Jordan alongside Jarno Trulli.
Ralf Schumacher acknowledged that Jordan had the interests of his team to protect. "To be fair to Eddie, he has a lot of pressure on him," Schumacher said. "He has major sponsors backing him and he has to prove that Jordan are a good team to stay with."
Frentzen's lawyers will be monopolising Jordan's time for the next few weeks as they seek compensation for what the driver regards as a clear breach of a watertight contract.
Meanwhile Jacques Villeneuve and Olivier Panis were yesterday confirmed as BAR's drivers for next season. It will be Villeneuve's fourth successive year at BAR, while Panis has been rewarded for an impressive first season.
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