Former F1 race winner Heinz-Harald Frentzen recently shared with the world a joke that offended Ron Dennis so much that the McLaren boss refused to speak to the German ever again, ruining his chances of joining the team in the future.
Chosen as a direct replacement for world champion Damon Hill at Williams for 1997, Frentzen had a high reputation during his career as an F1 driver.
The now 56-year-old competed evenly alongside Michael Schumacher in his junior career before scoring Sauber’s first ever F1 podium. His crowning highlight was for Jordan where, in 1999, his two victories almost led the Irish team to glory and the title.
Frentzen scored three victories, two poles and 18 podiums from his 10 years in F1
Speaking to Tom Clarkson on F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast, Frentzen stated that he had more than one opportunity to leave Sauber in 1994 and join bigger teams. The German ex-driver explained on the show that he had a chance to join Williams following the death of Ayrton Senna.
Frentzen also shared the tale of when he was contacted by McLaren boss Ron Dennis after a good run of results to end his rookie season.
“You know why I never got a chance at McLaren? In 1994 in Adelaide, my manager came to me. It was a celebration, Sunday race, all the Formula 1 teams were celebrating the end of the season. And then I had a call, Ron Dennis wanted to see me.”
“In those days, I was a person who made a lot of fun. I come from Monchengladbach and these guys from [there] are always doing jokes and think they have a lot of sense of humour.”
“So, Ron Dennis came to me and said, ‘Hey Heinz, how is your English?’, and he said, ‘there might be some improvement in your English’. And then I said for fun, ‘and how is your German?’, because we knew that Mercedes was coming to McLaren [as an engine supplier]. ‘You have to learn German as well’, I said to Ron Dennis.”
“He had a stone face. I was thinking I was funny, and my manager just pushed my arm like 'what the f*** did you say that for?'. And I saw the face of Ron Dennis, and he never ever spoke again with me. He was so upset that I made this joke. Unbelievable, and that’s why I never really had a chance at McLaren, because Ron Dennis for some reason didn’t like my sense of humour.”
While Frentzen did get his chance to race for Williams for two years in the mid-90’s, his misjudged exchange with Dennis meant that during his time in F1 he never competed with another British team.
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