Michael Schumacher has castigated Eddie Jordan saying that the Jordan team owner had not stuck by his troubled driver and that Heinz-Harald Frentzen was better off out of the Irish team.
The world champion, who began his F1 career at Jordan at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1991, was responding to the surprise sacking of Frentzen by Jordan on Wednesday, and he admitted it hadn't come as a shock.
"It's not surprising that this has happened," said Schumacher, apparently in reference to his own treatment at the team. "But it's a shame because they had a good time in '99 and it means that he, as a driver, can't be too bad, and if times are bad then maybe you need to stick to your driver.
"I'm certainly not very happy seeing that happen to Heinz-Harald," he added. "On the other hand, he might get a better opportunity now."
The Ferrari driver's comments were echoed by his younger brother, Ralf, who drove for Jordan for two seasons in 1997 and 1998, but also left the team in acrimonious circumstances. After a disappointing maiden campaign, the younger Schumacher came under fire from the team in 1998 over his performances, but he redressed the balance by scoring Jordan's first point on 1998 at a rain-wrecked Silverstone.
The goodwill evaporated soon after though as Ralf took umbrage at being told to stave off a challenge to Damon Hill's tenuous lead at Spa and take a back seat as Hill famously handed the team its first grand prix win.
That order signalled the end of any good relations between Schumacher and Jordan, and after a rancorous and drawn out divorce, Schumacher switched to Williams where he has since garnered considerable success.
Yesterday, he added to the sympathy being expressed for Frentzen and recalled his own problems at Jordan.
"I feel sorry for Heinz the way it happened," he said. "In previous years I have had problems with this team and it happens sometimes. If people don't want to work together any more then it might be for the best that they stop because it can't help either of them.
"I heard a rumour that Heinz is going to be with us next year in a different team, and if that's the case then it's a better opportunity for him anyway."
That opportunity would still appear to be Toyota, and despite denials from the Japanese company that Frentzen would join them for 2002, the rumours persisted early yesterday.
Ove Andersson, president of TMG, the motorsport wing of Toyota, insisted, however, that the new Formula One team would persist with current drivers Mika Salo and Scot Allan McNish, whose seat was rumoured to be under threat from Frentzen as far back at the European Grand Prix five weeks ago.
"We have been connected to about 16 drivers in the press so far," said Andersson yesterday afternoon. "I can only reconfirm what I said when we launched the car. We have Mika Salo as one of the drivers and, as far as we are concerned, Allan McNish is doing a good job for us now and if this continues then I see no reason to change.
"Principally we have a very co-operative relationship (with Allan) and he will stay in the team if that co-operation continues at the same level. I would say he's confirmed, yes."
The Swede's defence is, however, a little less emphatic than the statements made in March, when Toyota unveiled their F1 car at the Paul Ricard circuit in the South of France. Then the TMG boss said that he would honour the loyalty shown by McNish through the Scot's years with the company's sports car programme and that he would drive in 2002.
The lure of a freed Frentzen may yet prove too much for the nascent squad to resist and the sight of the former Jordan man in red and white overalls next year cannot be ruled out.
