Quote Originally Posted by rjbetty View Post
Frentzen at Sauber is very curious. Drivers usually start off slowly as a rookie while they have to understand everything, then as they do they get quicker and quicker each year, but it looks to me like Frentzen started off very well. I can't figure it out. He outqualified his highly-rated team mate Wendlinger 3-0 in his first 3 races! This is also what I couldn't understand. I am a big fan of Wendlinger but it seemed to me he didn't look that good against Frentzen being outqualified like that. I never watched the season so I don't have context. However in races, Wendlinger looked better, coming 4th at that Imola race with Frentzen 7th. HHF also saw off de Cesaris and JJ Lehto easily, only being outqualified once all year and none at all the next year.
I remember watching 1994 San Marino Grand Prix retrospectively. I think I may have watched this race even multiple times. Due to obvious reasons I guess! But what I wanted to mention is that I am pretty sure Frentzen stalled on the grid, which is why he finished outside the points, while Wendlinger was 4th.

But you are right. HHF was right up to speed. I just checked that Frentzen qualified 5th in his very first F1 weekend! That was Brazil 1994. Talk about taking F1 by storm! Reminds me of Eddie Irvine, who also took F1 by storm with a strong race weekend at Suzuka the year before.

I guess what helped Frentzen (and also Irvine), was that he was already somewhat older, when he made his F1 debut. I think HHF was like 26 on his debut? So he wasn't a 20-year-old green bloke, but already a well-experienced racing driver in general, who was on form and did not need time to adapt.