Formula 1 history is littered with plenty of characters, but none quite like Eddie Jordan. When he formed his eponymous Grand Prix team in 1991, he was a down-to-earth, rock and roll figure entering a world that belonged to the rich and famous.
And what an impact the affable Irishman made, both on and off the track. Having enjoyed some success at Formula 3 level in the 1980s, Eddie Jordan Racing set its sights on the pinnacle of motorsport. As he had done so for years, Jordan scrimped and saved to be able to fund his dream.
That meant he had to spend wisely and did so when he hired Gary Anderson to lead a tiny team that built the first Jordan Grand Prix F1 car. The Jordan 191 was green to match the major sponsor, soft drinks brand 7 Up, he signed to help fund their racing, and surprisingly competitive.
It was famously also the first F1 machine Michael Schumacher ever raced, albeit briefly, in Belgium that year. The future looked bright with that fearless young German racer on board – except he wasn’t. Jordan did not get Schumacher to sign a full contract in time and so rivals Benetton swooped, and the rest is history.
“Welcome to the Piranha Club,” McLaren boss Ron Dennis said to Jordan – a phrase he later repeated upon meeting future Red Bull chief Christian Horner. Without Schumacher, though, Jordan’s plucky outfit still went on to enjoy remarkable success including race wins and even an improbable title bid.
That was in 1999 when Heinz-Harald Frentzen secured two wins and six podiums to put himself into contention, only to suffer a DNF while leading at the Nurburgring which ended his hopes.
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The team’s rise had been remarkable, funded by Jordan’s wheeling and dealing which put him within touching distance of F1’s summit. But the fall came just as abruptly – after that 1999 campaign, dreams of championship glory faded as a fight for survival took over. And it was one in which Jordan, eventually, admitted defeat, selling his team to the Midland Group in early 2005.
He remained heavily involved in F1 as a pundit for BBC Sport, among others, aided by his unrivalled network of sources in the paddock. Jordan was the first to break the blockbuster news of Lewis Hamilton’s switch from McLaren to Mercedes, having worked with Niki Lauda to persuade the Brit to replace Schumacher, who was retiring for the second and final time.
Even after his cancer diagnosis last year, he was still working. Jordan broadened his sporting horizons when he led the consortium which bought the London Irish rugby union team. Back in F1, as Adrian Newey’s manager, Jordan brokered the legendary designer’s huge £30million-per-year switch to Aston Martin.
And he still had the energy to make podcast appearances up to three weeks before his death. As his former driver Damon Hill said yesterday: “Eddie was chaotic and a genius all at the same time. He had the energy of 100 men. He created so much joy and had a massive heart. There will only ever be one EJ.”
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