He is the driver Frank Williams didn’t think was ‘hard enough’ for Formula 1 despite winning three races

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Sir Frank Williams ranks as one of the most successful team bosses in Formula 1 history. His eponymous team have won 16 championship trophies.

For reference, Christian Horner delivered 14 (six drivers’, eight constructors’) during his 20-year stint at Red Bull. Toto Wolff still needs one more title at Mercedes to match the Williams founder.

The Briton ran the team from 1977 until 2020, signing legendary drivers like Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve remains the team’s most recent title-winner, but the extremely ambitious James Vowles will hope to end that drought.

After Michael Schumacher was disqualified, Villeneuve led a Williams one-two in the championship that year ahead of teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen. But both drivers were gone by 1999.

Sir Frank Williams thought Heinz-Harald Frentzen was too nice for Formula 1

Frentzen started his career at Sauber in 1994 and delivered the team’s first podium as a sophomore driver in ’95. He was Williams’ chosen replacement for Hill at the end of ’96 after the world champion failed to agree a new contract.

The German joined the winners’ circle in San Marino, and while he was unable to match Villeneuve, he did score six podiums. Unfortunately, the team regressed the following year as Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen began their rivalry, and Frentzen’s stock fell in tandem.

Jordan offered him refuge when he lost his seat, and the move looked like a masterstroke in 1999 when he added two more victories to his tally and finished third in the championship. But Eddie Jordan was a ruthless businessman, and he axed Frentzen midway through the 2001 season.

He saw out that year at Prost and also had a stop at Arrows before returning to Sauber to finish his career.

Speaking before his final season, Williams spoke highly of Frentzen’s natural talent, but questioned whether he had the right temperament to succeed in Formula 1.

“I don’t know of any other driver who has such a fantastic feeling for the car he drives as Frentzen does,” he said, via the BBC. “But Heinz-Harald is a very sensitive character and not hard enough for this business.”

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is the last F1 driver to score points despite failing to finish

Olivier Panis won a remarkable Monaco Grand Prix in 1996. In one of the most attritional F1 races ever, just three drivers made it to the chequered flag.

David Coulthard was runner-up, while Johnny Herbert, the last man over the line, completed the podium. Frentzen, who’d made early contact with Ferrari’s Eddie Irvine, pulled into the pits at the end of lap 74 of 75, effectively sealing fourth place.

• READ MORE: He was a ‘natural driving talent’ compared to Lewis Hamilton and made history with Williams 27 years ago

He was one of three drivers who scored that day without seeing the chequered flag. Tyrrell’s Mika Salo joined Hakkinen in the top six after a lap-70 collision.

No driver has repeated this unique feat since.