Frentzen Eyes Home Podium but Tips Williams

Heinz-Harald Frentzen hopes Jordan will be challenging hard at his home German Grand Prix at Hockenheim next weekend. But he is not planning to put any money on it.

Instead, the 34-year-old German admits he fancies his former team and the man he traded places with in 1999. "We should be competitive at Hockenheim like we have always been," said the German, who was third for Jordan at the circuit in 1999. "I try and do my best at each grand prix and so as I come to Hockenheim it would be nice to finish there on the podium.

"But I would say that BMW and Williams, if I were a bookmaker, would be my favourite team to win there because they look very competitive on this kind of circuit. I think generally they will be very strong and I feel... well, I feel happy for Frank that he has again a winning team after a long break."

There are four German drivers in Formula One and this year Frentzen heads for Hockenheim as the one with the fewest points and the least to shout about. To make matters worse, Frentzen has been outqualified by his Italian teammate Jarno Trulli nine times in 10 races and has not scored a point since April. In the last two races he has finished lower down the field than he started. Frentzen did not finish the previous four and missed out altogether in Canada when he felt too unwell to compete after two heavy crashes.

"We started the season well but then we had some difficulties with our launch control and afterwards some other reliability problems which put us back a little bit," Frentzen said at the Nuerburgring last month. "There have always been ups and downs at Jordan since I joined. We have been up there and down there."

Silverstone, a race amounting to Jordan's home Grand Prix since the circuit is just over the road from the team's factory, suggested things were improving. Frentzen qualified fifth, his best showing since the fourth in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but ended up seventh after problems with the car's handling.

After Silverstone, Hockenheim should be a home from home for the undertaker's son who has shown over the years that he knows a thing or two about overtaking as well. "It is something special because it's Germany and there are some Heinz-Harald Frentzen supporters there," he said.

All he needs now is to make a point or two.