Latest news with #Ex-Formula1
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Motorsport's Martin Brundle says OBE ‘a great privilege'
Ex-Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports broadcaster Martin Brundle has said it is 'very special' to be honoured. The 65-year-old was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. He told the PA news agency: 'It's very special, obviously a great privilege. 'I feel very lucky anyway because I've managed to have two careers in Formula 1 with the driving and sports broadcasting, which is what the OBE has been awarded for. 'So I think I'm lucky enough already to have that opportunity in a sport that I love and been involved in for over 40 years. 'I don't know, is it the crowning glory? You sort of get your head down, do what you think is best, either into a corner at 200 miles an hour or walking down the grid or something on live television. 'You don't imagine you'll ever get recognised, but you do it because you love doing it and then sometimes on a day like today, you stop, turn around and look behind you and think 'Yeah, we've covered quite a lot of ground'.' Brundle spoke about his 'crazy' grid walk interviews with drivers and celebrities which often go 'viral'. He said: 'They get more and more crazy as time goes on. Formula 1's incredibly popular at the moment in a way I've never seen in those four decades in terms of who wants to be there, who will be seen to be there. 'But it's a unique opportunity in any live sport to talk to the participants literally moments before, in our case, they head off down to the first corner with 1,000 horsepower. 'So you couldn't do it at Wimbledon or Wembley… I can go up to a driver literally last minute and ask a question, and we get some interesting people on the grid. 'And there's also a bit of a car-crash television mentality about it. I don't know what's going to happen next… sometimes it's awful, and sometimes it is quite entertaining, and we see how it goes.' Brundle said he features in the forthcoming Hollywood film F1, starring Brad Pitt and produced by seven-time champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, having done some voiceover work with commentator David Croft. 'They wanted it to be credible and realistic in terms of Formula 1 action,' he said. 'So I don't know the back story to it. All I know is the cinematography and the action is going to be extremely accurate and real. 'I think we've done 19 hours in a voiceover studio so far where we're looking at it, so I've seen all of the track action. 'And then you finesse it, and then they'll change the story slightly, and you go back in again and change the story again. 'It's a big process.' – F1 will be released in UK cinemas on June 25.
Hans India
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- Hans India
Formula 1: Leclerc-Hamilton is best lineup on the grid, says Marc Gene
Ex-Formula 1 driver and Ferrari ambassador Marc Gene believes his boasts the strongest line-up in the sport with their 2025 pairing, having highlighted how well Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are pushing each other to be better. The seven-time world champion Hamilton completed his headline-making switch from Mercedes to the Scuderia during the off-season to team up with long-time Ferrari protege forming an all-star driver duo with Leclerc. While results have been mixed for Hamilton and the Italian outfit so far, Gene is seeing plenty of positives behind the scenes. 'It's the best (on the grid) I don't think you can have a better line-up," said Gene to Beyond the Grid podcast. "Charles is at a very good point in his career – he's matured so much. Being the teammate of Carlos, who's also very diligent, technically very good, very organised, worked so hard… being the teammate of Seb… Charles has been very lucky to have two such good teammates. 'Therefore, now even having Lewis as a teammate, they work very well. They are not political. I can really tell that they work very well [together], and they are pushing each other," he said. Sainz made way for Hamilton at Ferrari and is now racing with Williams. Gene also touched on the emotions around fellow Spaniard Sainz having to make way for Hamilton after four memorable and increasingly competitive seasons at Ferrari. 'Of course, I was sorry for Carlos, because I'm Spanish and I have a very good relationship with him,' he said. 'But when you have the opportunity to have Lewis in the team, and it was a love affair, a mutual love affair, you understand the decision that Ferrari took," Gene added. Ferrari sit fourth in the Teams' Championship after the opening five rounds of the season on 78 points, 110 away from leaders McLaren while Leclerc is fifth in the Drivers' Standings on 47 points, with Hamilton in seventh on 31.
BBC News
20-03-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Eddie Jordan - pictures in the life of a Formula 1 icon
Ex-Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan passed away on Thursday in Cape Town aged 76 after a battle with cancer.A former racer, the Irishman went on to become the owner of one of Formula 1's plucky helped launch the careers of many racers, including Eddie Irvine and, of course, Michael of the sport's most colourful and flamboyant characters, here is Jordan's life in pictures. Jordan was a keen racer and competed in Formula 3 before he broke a leg in an accident at Mallory Park in a brief return behind the wheel, he set up his own race team after hanging up his helmet, and gave a platform for drivers such as Martin Brundle and Johnny Herbert in the junior categories such as Formula 3. Jordan stepped up to the big leagues in Formula 1 in the 1991 season, in an iconic Irish green hired Andrea de Cesaris and Bertrand Gachot as his drivers for his debut campaign, but one of those drivers would not see out the season... In perhaps his most famous move, Jordan handed a Formula 1 debut to a promising, yet unknown rookie called Michael Schumacher after Gachot was sent to prison for an altercation with a taxi driver in London only competed in one race for Jordan, at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, before Benetton swooped for the young driver, but the Irishman had played a pivotal role for the German who would go on to become a seven-time world champion. Jordan Grand Prix signed Northern Ireland's Eddie Irvine and talented Brazilian Rubens Barrichello for claimed the team's first Formula 1 podium at the Pacific Grand Prix, but was lucky to escape with his life after an accident at the San Marino Grand Prix - a day before the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna in one of the darkest weekends in the sport's Barrichello and Irvine picked up podiums the following year as the team continued to rise. Jordan's first Grand Prix victory came at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix, where his team not only secured the win but a one-two finish in a chaotic a rain-hit Spa-Francorchamps, in a race punctuated by crashes and a red flag, Damon Hill led home team-mate Ralf Schumacher for one of the most memorable victories of the decade. After their first win, Formula 1's plucky underdogs became unlikely title challengers in Frentzen scored two podiums in the opening two races to spark a season to remember for in France and Italy, along with podiums in Germany and Belgium, put the German driver in title contention before he fell away in the closing three races of the finished third in the drivers' championship, and Jordan were third in the constructors' standings - their best ever result. As well as a big player in Formula 1, Jordan was a keen musician and played drums in a would often be more than happy to put on a show at Formula 1 events, and he was perfectly on brand here with his Jordan colours in 2002. Jordan's fourth and final Grand Prix victory came at the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix with Giancarlo Fisichella. It was another memorable win in the team's 200th Grand Prix, but they would not stand on the top step a drop off in results in 2004, Jordan sold his team to Midland and their final season under the Jordan Grand Prix banner was in 2005. His team evolved from Jordan to Midland, Spyker and then Force India, which eventually become Racing Point and Aston Martin today. Jordan was as colourful and outspoken as a TV pundit as he was a team integral role of the BBC's Formula 1 coverage, he was taken for a plunge by Sebastian Vettel at the 2011 Monaco Grand would later have a stint presenting Top Gear on the BBC, where his Irish charm brought him to a whole new audience. Jordan was still a presence in the Formula 1 paddock after hanging up the TV mic. He played an influential role as legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey left Red Bull for the ambitious project at Aston Martin - formerly Jordan's F1 1 will never witness a character quite like Jordan ever again.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Eccentric F1 Team Boss Who Gave Michael Schumacher His Debut Dies Aged 76
Ex-Formula 1 team boss and the brains behind Michael Schumacher's 1991 F1 debut in Belgium, Eddie Jordan, has died aged 76. The team boss turned TV presenter revealed last year that he had been diagnosed with bladder and prostate cancer, which had spread to his spine and pelvis. Jordan's family confirmed that the F1 star died on March 20 in Cape Town, South Africa, reports the Guardian. The Irishman's family said he "passed away peacefully with family by his side," in a statement shared with the site: "EJ brought an abundance of charisma, energy and Irish charm everywhere he went. We all have a huge hole missing without his presence. He will be missed by so many people, but he leaves us with tonnes of great memories to keep us smiling through our sorrow." Read more: Joey Logano Penalized By NASCAR For Wearing A Webbed Glove To Gain Aero Advantage Jordan didn't start his career in motorsport with the aim of becoming a TV pundit one day. Instead, he started racing karts in Ireland, and went on to win the Irish championship in 1971 -- his first entry into the series, reports the BBC. After tasting the winners champagne, Jordan then worked through the ranks racing in Formula Ford in 1974 and Formula 3 a year later. After breaking his leg during a crash, the Irishman hung up his racing gloves for a few years, before making a comeback in Formula Atlantic and winning three races in 1977. Greater on-track success wasn't Jordan's to chase, however, and he switched to team management, setting up his own racing outfit for the F3 and Formula 3000 championships. Over the years, he fielded drivers like Johnny Herbert and Jean Alesi in the junior categories. Herbert and Alesi weren't the last big names to drive in Jordan's cars, and with the launch of Jordan Grand Prix in 1991 the Irishman made the step up to Formula 1. Over the course of 15 seasons, the team fielded an impressive roster of talent, as F1 explained: Jordan famously gave Michael Schumacher his F1 debut during that '91 campaign, with many other big-name drivers – including the likes of Rubens Barrichello, Martin Brundle, Damon Hill and Jean Alesi – racing for the squad over the years. The team picked up its first podium with Barrichello at the wheel in 1994 and scored its first victory at the 1998 Belgium Grand Prix. At its peak, Jordan placed third in the 1999 Formula 1 season with drivers Damon Hill and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Jordan ultimately sold his stake in the F1 team in 2005 after a decline in performance and sponsorship. It went through several name changes in the years since and formed the basis for the Aston Martin team that's on the grid today. Following his departure from the sport, Jordan built a name for himself as an eccentric TV presenter. He regularly appeared on Formula 1 race weekend coverage as a pundit and even having a stint on the revived BBC show "Top Gear" after the departure of Jeremy Clarkson and co. Jordan also served as manager for famed F1 designer Adrian Newey and was said to be instrumental in negotiating the deal that saw Newey leave Red Bull and join Aston Martin. Maybe that was one last effort to secure the legacy of the team he started in Formula 1? Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
NBC News
20-03-2025
- Automotive
- NBC News
Eddie Jordan, ex-F1 team owner and media personality, dies at 76
SHANGHAI — Ex-Formula 1 team owner and media personality Eddie Jordan has died, according to a statement by his family. He was 76. Often known simply as 'EJ,' he ran his own Jordan team in the 1990s and 2000s in F1. His humor, strong opinions and often extravagant dress sense made Jordan a popular pundit on TV after selling the team in 2005. Jordan was undergoing treatment for what he had called 'quite aggressive' cancer of the bladder and prostate which spread to his spine and pelvis. The family statement, published by rugby club London Irish, where Jordan was a patron, said he 'passed away peacefully with family by his side in Cape Town' early Thursday. 'EJ brought an abundance of charisma, energy and Irish charm everywhere he went. We all have a huge hole missing without his presence. He will be missed by so many people, but he leaves us with tonnes of great memories to keep us smiling through our sorrow.' F1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali, who was a senior Ferrari employee when Jordan owned his team, said Jordan was 'a protagonist of an era of F1 and he will be deeply missed.' 'With his inexhaustible energy he always knew how to make people smile, remaining genuine and brilliant at all times.' Irish businessman Jordan operated his own racing team in lower-level series before moving up to F1 in 1991, giving future seven-time champion Michael Schumacher his first race that year. Christian Horner, then a young driver dreaming of F1 and now Red Bull team principal, recalled the advice he got from Jordan in 1991: 'Get a good sponsor … welcome to the Piranha Club!' F1 has 'lost a legend,' Horner said. Jordan gave Schumacher his break in F1 because his regular driver Bertrand Gachot was sentenced to prison for assaulting a London taxi driver. The then-22-year-old Schumacher was with the team for only a single race before Benetton signed him in controversial circumstances. 'I am deeply saddened by the loss of Eddie Jordan. Eddie was a great individual, who for decades always brought a smile to the entire F1 paddock,' said Flavio Briatore, who then ran Benetton and became a close friend of Jordan, and is now executive adviser at Alpine. 'I have fond memories of the time spent on and off the track with Eddie, and his presence across the entire F1 world will be greatly missed.' Other Jordan drivers over the years included Damon Hill, who won the 1996 championship with Williams and gave Jordan its first win in torrential rain in 1998, future Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who was third in the championship for Jordan in 1999. Jordan Grand Prix won four races before Jordan sold the team in 2005. Following more sales and name changes since then, the team competes as Aston Martin. 'Eddie Jordan was one of the all-time motorsport greats. He was a one-off, a wonderful human being, and a charismatic leader who founded this team and took it to F1 in 1991,' Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell said in a statement. 'His vision laid the foundations for us and he leaves a lasting legacy for the entire motorsport community.' Jordan also acted as the manager for car design great Adrian Newey when he left Red Bull for Aston Martin last year. When he revealed his cancer diagnosis last year, Jordan used it as an opportunity to urge listeners of his podcast to follow up on any health concerns. 'This is a little message to everybody listening to this, don't waste or put it off,' he said. 'Go and get tested, because in life you have got chances. Go and do it. Don't be stupid. Don't be shy. Look after your body, guys.'
