Ex-F1 team owner Eddie Jordan dies aged 76 following cancer diagnosis

New York Times

20-03-2025

Ex-Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan has died at the age of 76 following a battle with cancer.
Jordan was the owner of his eponymous F1 team, Jordan Grand Prix, and later became known for his work as a TV pundit in the United Kingdom.
The Irishman revealed last December in his podcast with former driver David Coulthard, Formula For Success, that he had been diagnosed with liver and bladder cancer which had spread to his spine and pelvis, and was 'quite aggressive.'
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On Thursday, Jordan's family issued a statement to the BBC confirming that he had passed away.
'It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Eddie Jordan OBE, the ex-Formula One team owner, TV pundit and entrepreneur,' read the statement. 'He passed away peacefully with family by his side in Cape Town in the early hours of 20 March 2025.'
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali paid tribute to Jordan in a statement, saying: '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.'
After fielding a team in junior motorsport categories, Jordan established his F1 team in 1991, finishing fifth in the championship in its first year.
Jordan notably gave future world champion Michael Schumacher his F1 debut at that year's Belgian Grand Prix after Betrand Gachot was imprisoned in London for attacking a taxi driver, meaning a stand-in was required. It would be Schumacher's only appearance for Jordan before his move to Benetton for the next race.
Jordan scored its first F1 victory in a rain-hit race at Spa in 1998 as 1996 world champion Damon Hill led home teammate Ralf Schumacher for a 1-2 finish. The following year would be Jordan's most successful F1 season as Heinz-Harald Frentzen became a regular front-runner, scoring two wins as the team finished third in the constructors' standings.
That was the high point for Jordan in F1, which scored its final race win with Giancarlo Fisichella at the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix. As it struggled financially, the team was sold by Eddie Jordan to the Midland Group ahead of the 2005 season, and stopped using the Jordan name from 2006.
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Despite selling his team, Jordan remained heavily involved in F1, working as a pundit for BBC Sport when it gained the F1 rights in 2009. He was the first major pundit to claim that Lewis Hamilton would leave McLaren in 2012 to join Mercedes, three weeks before the deal was formally confirmed.
Jordan moved with the F1 rights from the BBC to Channel 4 in 2016, and had a brief stint as part of the Top Gear presenting line-up, as well as launching his podcast with Coulthard two years ago.
Jordan also served as the manager for legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey, who hailed Jordan's work after announcing his move from Red Bull to Aston Martin last year. Earlier this year, Jordan was part of a consortium that bought out the London Irish rugby team from administration with plans to revive the club in the near future.