Page 17 - Beep Beep April 2025

Eddie Jordan OBE, the
flamboyant former Formula 1
team owner and television
pundit, has died aged 76.
The Irishman, who had aggressive
prostate cancer, died in the early
hours of Thursday 20 March.
"He passed away peacefully with
family by his side in Cape Town in the
early hours of 20 March 2025.”
Jordan, who was known across the
world for his outspoken, mischievous
character, achieved rare success as
an independent team owner.
His team, which made its debut in
1991, won four grands prix in its 15
years in the sport and challenged
briefly for the drivers' championship in
1999, before suffering declining
fortunes and being sold in 2005.
Jordan later became a television
pundit, first for BBC Sport and then
for Channel 4, where his outspoken
views were paired with an ability to
break major news stories.
Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion
who won Jordan's first grand prix in
1998, told BBC Sport: "Eddie was a
huge influence on me and many
people in motorsport and around the
world. There will never be another
like him."
After selling his F1 team, Eddie Jordan worked as a
broadcaster for the BBC and Channel 4
Jordan famously gave Schumacher his F1 debut at the 1991
Belgian Grand Prix, before the German was poached by the
Benetton team for the following race in Italy.
After a difficult few years struggling for funds, Jordan landed a
major sponsorship deal with the cigarette brand Benson &
Hedges for 1996, securing the funds needed to develop into a
front-runner.
By mid-1998, the team were challenging the top teams, and
Jordan's first victory was scored by Hill in a soaking wet 1998
Belgian Grand Prix.
German Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who had replaced Hill at
Williams for 1997, won two further races after going to Jordan
in 1999 and briefly fought for the title.
Jordan's final win was by Giancarlo Fisichella at the 2003
Brazilian Grand Prix, a victory that was first given to McLaren's
Kimi Raikkonen after a chaotic wet race before Jordan
appeared to establish that the Italian was the correct winner on
results countback.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/articles/cq8y1335qlwo
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