Eddie Jordan and his Rock and Roll team were so iconic they nearly signed an F1 legend

Today it would be hard to believe how a Formula 1 team that only ever won four races in 14 years could possibly have had an owner and boss who will forever be a massive icon for the sport.

But then Eddie Jordan, who has sadly passed away aged 76, always did know how to move around the paddock in unorthodox ways and his Jordan outfit are one of the most important teams in the history of the sport.

Everyone knows the Jordan headlines, from handing Michael Schumacher his debut in 1991, having a realistic shot of the 1999 title with Heinz-Harald Frentzen, giving Damon Hill his last win and that madcap Brazilian Grand Prix in 2003 with one of the most underrated drives/victories in history by Giancarlo Fisichella.

But the Irish outfit were more than just a ‘moments’ team. They were a key part of F1’s appeal to the masses in the 1990s. In an era when the internet took about two hours just to load a single picture – streaming services that could bring about programmes like Drive to Survive to a new global mass audience were just not viable.

F1 racing was incredibly fun still but it perhaps lacked casual appeal. In Britain, fans with limited knowledge or care largely watched to see if Nigel Mansell could finally win the F1 world title, and then after, if Hill could do the same thing by beating that pesky antagonist, Schumacher.

But F1 was also becoming big business. The start of the 1990s still saw many smaller teams that floated in and out a revolving door. By the end of the decade, just about every major car brand was looking for a place on the grid. Garage teams were falling by the wayside – but a couple stayed around, most notably Jordan.

Michael Schumacher to Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell

Ironically though, it was Jordan that was arguably helping drive a bigger appeal – especially to a younger audience. Not at first mind. Everyone loves the 1991 7up livery of the 191 but Jordan were just another team making up the numbers up until around 1996, as Eddie Jordan learned the ropes of the F1 paddock. Let’s not forget he was stung in that first season by Benetton who plucked Schumacher away from him in an instant after just one race.

But he never took no for an answer and dived into every possible opportunity – even going into advanced negotiations over giving Ayrton Senna half his team to get him to drive for them before his untimely fatal crash in 1994.

Then in 1996, he struck gold… sort of. Partnering with tobacco company Benson & Hedges that saw his cars turn out in the colour – although on track it looked more like a sad shade of brown. Back to the drawing board.

But Jordan stole a commercial march on the grid for 1997 having passed up the chance to sign Nigel Mansell over the winter. An exciting new bright yellow colour scheme also saw the debut of ‘Hissing Sid’ the snake on the nosecone – driven by full-season rookies Fisichella and Ralf Schumacher (at Jordan, Michael’s brother lasted a little longer at two years rather than just one grand prix corner).

Jordan F1 - the Rock & Roll years

‘Sid’ was disliked by Jordan at first but he eventually came around to the idea and from then on the Jordan team became the rock & roll team of the F1 paddock. A combination of a quick car huge appeal and of course the loveable mischievous character of Eddie, sponsors came flooding into the team – even more so when he convinced 1996 world champion Hill to join for 1998.

Out went ‘Sid’ and in came the even more striking ‘Buzzin Hornet’. But the 1998 campaign was at the start a disaster - no points after half the season. However, by the end, largely due to an incredible Hill led 1-2 at the Belgian Grand Prix, the team finished an incredible fourth in the constructors’ championship.

So huge were the Jordan team by now, there was a season documentary produced for TV on them. The team orders from the pitwall that rain sodden afternoon in Spa showed just how much tension there was going on behind the scenes before Eddie Jordan showed he had a serious F1 brain too – famously ordering Ralf Schumacher not to pass Hill on the final few laps to protect what was going to prove to be a priceless result.

In an era of no team radio broadcasted during live races – it made for astonishing viewing and listening. It was perhaps typical that Jordan were doing Drive to Survive 20 years ahead of its time – Eddie always did have his finger on the pulse.

While Hill's form declined severely throughout 1999 under new rules and regulations, Schumacher’s replacement Heinz-Harald Frentzen was always in the mix with two wins as Jordan hit their peak to challenge giants McLaren and Ferrari for the drivers’ title. It fell away in the last three races but this sadly also started the team’s decline.

What happened to Jordan F1?

On-track, the 2000 and 2001 cars lacked speed and reliability. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the worst of it. Eddie Jordan suffered a huge blow after losing a lawsuit against Vodafone concerning a $150million sponsorship deal. Combined with a loss of Honda power after 2002 to BAR (now Mercedes) the team soon hit a steep decline as the rock and roll image swam away along with the car’s final nosecone mascot in the form of a shark along with a mass of sponsors. One joined the party though in the form of DHL and according to Eddie Jordan was even convinced to change the company's colours from white and red, to yellow and red.

By 2003, glitzy pre-season launches were replaced by low-key pitlane unveilings as Jordan tumbled down the grid to become the second slowest outfit. Not even Fisichella’s astonishing victory at Interlagos could hide that, with the team completing only two other points finishes that season.

Little of this was Eddie Jordan’s fault, even taking into account the lost court battle with Vodafone. By now the sport was full of teams who were either large car manufacturers or financially backed by one. By the time he had sold Jordan at the end of 2004, he was battling Ferrari, McLaren (Mercedes), Williams (BMW), BAR (Honda), Toyota, Renault, Jaguar (Ford, although from 2005, Red Bull), Sauber (De facto ‘Ferrari B’ and backed by Petronas) and fellow plucky outfit Minardi – who were also sold to Red Bull.

Jordan ran in name only under new ownership for 2005 before morphing into Midland Racing for 2006 as Eddie Jordan left behind a paddock which, during his era, had become famously known as the ‘Piranha Club’. The team have gone under many different names since, but Eddie’s F1 legacy lives on as the team that are now Aston Martin.

It is perhaps fitting that one of his final acts in the world of F1 was to steer legendary designer Adrian Newey to his former team in his role as manager - if only he had the opportunity to do that 25 years earlier!

Eddie Jordan at least provided even more entertainment to BBC and Channel 4 viewers over the years as a superb TV pundit who would casually find and deliver bombshell news as if it was nothing but also providing huge entertainment while doing so. Classic Eddie.

It is testament to Eddie Jordan’s character that there truly hasn’t been anyone like him or his team on the grid since their 2004 proxy exit and there probably won’t be ever again. It was a unique team and owner who brought so much to the sport and both were loved by a huge majority connected with F1.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen’s Red Bull exit date revealed as FIA protest ramps up

Related

GPFans Exclusive

F1 icon reveals FURY over controversial driver behaviour

• March 1, 2025 14:57

Latest F1 News

Ricciardo close to LOSING famous F1 win

• February 23, 2025 21:56