Former F1 Team Boss, Pundit Eddie Jordan Dies at 76
Former Formula 1 team boss Eddie Jordan has died at the age of 76, his family announced on Thursday.
Jordan had been battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer for the last 12 months.
The gregarious, flamboyant and outspoken Jordan had a wealth of business interests, but it was in motor racing—more specifically Formula 1, where the Irishman made his name and built his legacy.
After putting the brakes on his own promising career 'EJ' founded his eponymous team, which raced in Formula 3 and Formula 3000, before taking on Formula 1 in 1991.
It was an era in which a plethora of enthusiasts attempted to take on Formula 1, with start-up teams swiftly falling by the wayside, but Jordan was a rare success story for independents.
Jordan immediately established a presence in Formula 1, with the green-liveried 191 widely regarded as one of the most beautiful racing cars in history, and the tidy machine was sufficient to give the debutant team fifth place in the championship.
Jordan also handed a 1991 mid-season debut to eventual seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.
By the mid-1990s Jordan had established itself as a fiercely independent team in Formula 1's midfield, taking on bigger, wealthier and more straight-faced teams, and in 1994 claimed its first podium finish and pole position courtesy of Rubens Barrichello.
It was in the late 1990s when Jordan, completed with its iconic yellow liveries, peaked, and in a rain-hit Belgian Grand Prix Damon Hill led Ralf Schumacher for a 1-2 finish, with EJ dancing down the pit lane in delight.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen claimed two victories and contended for the title in 1999, with Jordan securing its highest-ever finish of third in the championship.
Jordan's fortunes waned into the 2000s and, despite Giancarlo Fisichella adding a fourth and final win to the team's record books at a rain-lashed Brazilian GP in 2003, Jordan sold up at the end of 2004.
Across a 14-year stint Jordan Grand Prix started 250 Grands Prix, with four victories, 19 podiums, and two pole positions.
The ex-Jordan team eventually evolved into Aston Martin and still occupies the same Silverstone campus—which has recently been expanded—at which Jordan initially set up shop.
After leaving team ownership Jordan returned to a prominent position in the paddock as the lead pundit and analyst for the BBC's Formula 1 coverage from 2009 to 2015, a role he briefly continued for Channel 4. He also co-hosted a podcast with ex-F1 racer David Coulthard.
Jordan was also a music enthusiast, known for playing the drums and the spoons, and was a keen cyclist and sailor, and retained wide-ranging business interests through to his death, most recently his purchase of London Irish Rugby Club.
'We are deeply saddened to hear about the sudden loss of Eddie Jordan,' Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said in a statement. 'With his inexhaustible energy he always knew how to make people smile, remaining genuine and brilliant at all times. Eddie has been a protagonist of an era of F1 and he will be deeply missed. In this moment of sorrow, my thoughts and those of the entire Formula 1 family are with his family and loved ones.'
Andy Cowell, Team Principal of Aston Martin, also paid tribute to Jordan.
'Eddie Jordan was one of the all-time motorsport greats,' Cowell said. 'He was a one-off, a wonderful human being, and a charismatic leader who founded this team and took it to F1 in 1991. His vision laid the foundations for us and he leaves a lasting legacy for the entire motorsport community. Today we pay tribute to a legend of the sport and our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues."
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