Frentzen to start 150th Grand Prix

"I'm not normally too bothered about milestones," says Frentzen, "But this time it is special because I will be in front of my home fans."

The 36-year old maintains he has no thoughts of retirement: "You are only as old as you feel. I see myself as a benchmark for young drivers entering Formula One."

Does Frentzen have any memories or regrets from his time in the sport so far, which began with Sauber in 1994?

"There are a lot of good memories, especially from my first season. The 1997 year was the most difficult. That was the only season when I had a car with which I could have been able to be World Champion. But unfortunately the season didn't go well for me."

Frentzen was again unlucky in 2002, when his Arrows team showed it had an excellent car only for the squad to collapse. Few know that the former Mercedes sportscar ace also had a chance to go to Williams in 1994.

"After Senna's death the offer came from Frank. I was proud and happy, but it was a difficult time and a sad situation. I also wanted to be loyal to Peter Sauber, who had given me the chance to get into Formula One. I told him it was his decision to make, and I have no regrets about that."

Frentzen is 11th in this year's title race, with seven points to his name.