Eddie Jordan says three-time F1 race winner was the ‘most underrated’ driver of all time

Follow us on Google Discover

Former Formula 1 team boss Eddie Jordan has suggested that German driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen was seriously underrated throughout his career.

Eddie Jordan and Frentzen worked together for nearly three seasons on the grid and the 56-year-old achieved the second-best season of his F1 career under Jordan’s management after a spell at Williams.

Speaking to F1 Insider, Jordan was raving about his former driver and believes he deserved much more credit than he received.

Before Jordan left the grid in 2005, they regularly punched above their weight compared to some of the much better-funded works teams on the grid, even if there were some calamitous incidents.

They achieved a best finish of third in the Constructors’ Championship while Frentzen was part of the team alongside world champion Damon Hill.

Jordan entered the sport in 1991 when the grid was busier than ever, so much so, that they had to take part in pre-qualifying before the Grand Prix weekend had even begun.

They developed a reputation for giving some brilliant drivers a platform to become top drivers.

The likes of Michael Schumacher – albeit contentiously – Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher all turned out for the team.

However, Jordan believes that Heinz-Harald Frentzen was the most underrated driver in Formula 1 history.

He only went on to win three races in his career and spent much of his time racing for teams who were nearly competing for championships or playing second fiddle to bigger-profile teammates.

Instead, after 160 Grand Prix entries, he left the sport although a podium in his penultimate race in 2003 for Sauber was a fitting end to his F1 career.

Jordan names Frentzen as Formula 1’s most underrated driver

Speaking about some of the most dominant drivers in the sport, Jordan said: “I’ve already experienced a lot. It was already clear to Michael after the first test drives at Silverstone: that he would be Ayrton Senna’s challenger.

“He was so fast straight away that we thought the stopwatch was crazy.

“I also worked with Heinz-Harald Frentzen – for me he is still the most underrated Formula 1 driver of all time.

“He was a gifted natural talent. For me, Max Verstappen is the mixture of Senna and Schumacher.”

Frentzen will be delighted to have been recognised by Jordan for his time in Formula 1 but would likely prefer to have a title to his name instead.

In 1997, it was only his Williams teammate Jacques Villeneuve who denied him the title, although the Canadian nearly doubled his points tally.

Two years later he was Jordan’s lead driver but both Ferrari and McLaren were simply too quick for them.

Frentzen will be fondly remembered by a generation of F1 fans who watched the German perform admirably in which midfield car he was driving.

Unfortunately, he never quite got the credit that he was due.