Right before the lights went out for Round 1 of World eX Season 9 in Melbourne, Heinz\u2011Harald Frentzen joined our latest Bizz Talk and made it very clear that he is anything but a fan of Formula 1\u2019s new regulations. At the same time, the former Grand Prix winner remains convinced that electric mobility on the road is on the right track and will only become more attractive in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the new rules, Frentzen admitted that he first had to understand how the hybrid system now works. \u201cI initially thought the driver is responsible for charging the battery and managing the energy,\u201d he said. His original assumption: when drivers reduce downforce \u2013 \u201cwhen they put the wings down\u201d \u2013 this would automatically charge the battery, especially now that the turbo\u2011generator is gone and energy recovery relies mainly on braking. That, in his view, would have been a logical combination of aerodynamics and hybrid technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What he actually found left him unconvinced. \u201cThey charge the battery at full power,\u201d Frentzen explained. \u201cThey have less power this year, and with this reduced power they also have to charge the battery on throttle, with special mappings out of the corners when they don\u2019t need so much torque because of oversteer.\u201d For him, this is not enough to really fill a battery. He also highlighted a basic problem with rear\u2011axle regeneration: under heavy braking into a hairpin \u201cthe rear end is very light, so you cannot take much torque from the rear tyres without locking the wheels very easily.\u201d His verdict on the concept is unambiguous: he sees the regulations as \u201cnot efficient\u201d and says openly that the way the system is implemented now is \u201cbullshit\u201d and will not provide much joy for teams or drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frentzen\u2019s criticism comes from experience. In 2008 he worked on his own hybrid project and came to a different conclusion: \u201cMy first thought was that energy recovery can only work properly on the front wheels, because you have a lot more torque available there. You can safely charge the battery with the front brakes and front tyres.\u201d If Formula 1 does not use this potential, he believes \u201cthey will struggle forever\u201d and might be better off not doing hybrid at all than sticking to a flawed concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the discussion moved from race cars to road cars, the tone changed noticeably. \u201cElectro mobility is still a good thing,\u201d Frentzen said. \u201cElectric cars are becoming better and better each time.\u201d He does, however, see limits in today\u2019s batteries: \u201cWe did not make big progress in the last ten years,\u201d he noted. The big step, in his view, will only come with new battery technologies, specifically solid\u2011state batteries which promise a kind of \u201cdry\u201d structure and much higher energy density. \u201cToday\u2019s cells are around 270 watt per kilogram,\u201d and he considers it realistic that by around 2030 this figure could double or increase by around 75 percent. \u201cIf you have this kind of density in the batteries, this is basically it. They overtake combustion engines in range,\u201d Frentzen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even before that, he sees clear advantages in everyday use. \u201cI still drive electric cars, and I also drive a combustion car, but every time I am in an electric car, life is so much easier,\u201d he explained. Comfort is becoming more important: \u201cEspecially when you get older, you like to have comfort.\u201d He still understands anyone who heads to the N\u00fcrburgring-Nordschleife with a combustion engine, but also points out that \u201csome electric cars are already very competitive there.\u201d For him the direction of travel is clear: \u201cNothing is really going to stop them (electric cars) from becoming popular one day.\u201d A crucial trigger could be software: \u201cIf Tesla gets full self\u2011driving working as promised, that will be the kick\u2011off for the next generation,\u201d Frentzen predicted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Far away from the F1 paddock, Frentzen has built a very different life for himself in Spain. \u201cI have nothing to do with racing, but I feel well. I do a lot of motorbiking when I\u2019m in Spain. I spend a lot of time here,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0His elderly mother still lives there, and he decided to stay close to her \u2013 and in the process discovered his passion for motorbikes in 2022. Together with friends he has known since his youth, he founded a touring club: \u201cWe are called Transib\u00e9rica Moto Tours.\u201d Launched in September 2024, the project offers guided tours on weekends around the Costa Blanca \u201cbetween Valencia and Alicante and also inland, because we have so much to show.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Winter is the best season: no leaves on the road, pleasant temperatures, empty routes. The concept is simple: \u201cWe provide the bikes. Guests can come with a helmet, we pick them up at the airport and then we go.\u201d It is more passion than business, as Frentzen stresses: \u201cWe are not making tons of money. It\u2019s mainly for pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Motorsport, however, is still very present in the family \u2013 through his daughter Lea. In 2023 she accompanied him to Silverstone for his long\u2011planned \u201cBeyond The Grid\u201d podcast and saw Formula 1 up close for the first time. \u201cShe immediately became addicted to Formula 1 and went crazy for all the details,\u201d he recalled. After that weekend she started her own Formula 1 Instagram channel and is now regularly seen at Grands Prix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Between clear criticism of F1\u2019s hybrid rules, a nuanced optimism for electric mobility, sweeping motorbike tours in Spain and a daughter who is building her own Formula 1 career on Instagram, Heinz\u2011Harald Frentzen showed in our latest Bizz Talk how diverse life after Formula 1 can be. He may call the current hybrid system \u201cbullshit,\u201d but his own mix of electric cars, analogue adventures and a front\u2011row seat to the sport\u2019s new digital generation is anything but.<\/p>\n\n\n\n