Jordan Grand Prix

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Full nameJordan Grand Prix
BaseSilverstone, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
Formula One World Championship Career
Debut1991 United States Grand Prix
Races competed250
Constructors' Championships0
Drivers' Championships0
Race victories4
Pole positions2
Fastest laps2

Jordan Grand Prix is a former Formula One team and constructor founded by Eddie Jordan.

History[change | change source]

Many drivers have driven for the team, including Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill and Rubens Barrichello. In the 15 years of their participation in the championship, the team has achieved four victories - the first time in Jordan was won by Damon Hill at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix (this was the only double victory for the team, with Ralf Schumacher taking second place), and the following season Heinz-Harald Frentzen won twice (1999 Italian Grand Prix and 1999 French Grand Prix). Giancarlo Fisichella took the last of his wins at the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix. Drivers in Jordan's cars have achieved 19 podium finishes, the first being Rubens Barrichello at the 1994 Pacific Grand Prix and the last being Tiago Monteiro at the 2005 US Grand Prix, although it should be noted that only six drivers competed in this race. Jordan has also won 2 pole positions (Rubens Barrichello in qualifying for the 1994 Belgian Grand Prix and Heinz-Harald Frentzen in qualifying for the 1999 European Grand Prix). The team's best placing in the constructors' standings was 3rd (61 points) in the 1999 season.

Creation and Beginnings[change | change source]

Michael Schumacher in Jordan 1991
Rubens Barrichello in Jordan 1995
Ralph Firman in a 2003 car
Damon Hill in Jordan 1999

In 1980, Eddie Jordan founded Eddie Jordan Racing, first in Formula 3 and then in Formula 3000. In the Formula 3000 category, Jean Alesi won the championship in a Jordan-designed car in 1989. After several successful seasons in lower series, Jordan decided to form a team in Formula 1.

The debut in the 1991 season turned out to be very successful for the team. Although it was not possible to win the podium, the team scored 13 points and finished 5th in the constructors' standings. Andrea de Cesaris, Bertrand Gachot, Michael Schumacher, Roberto Moreno and Alessandro Zanardi rode for the team in their debut season. The next two seasons were not so successful - in 1992 and 1993 the team was 11th in the constructors' standings. Jordan's drivers managed to score just one point in the 1992 season and 3 points the next. The team returned to its good disposal in the 1994 season, in which it was fifth in the constructors' championship. The drivers scored 28 points for the team, and Rubens Barrichello managed to get pole and bottom of the podium. He also finished fourth five times. The team's second driver, Eddie Irvine, did not do that well, scoring only three times throughout the season. Before the next season, Jordan changed engine supplier from Hart to Peugeot .

Jarno Trulli in 2001 car

The team, however, fared slightly worse and fell to the 6th position (21 points). This time PP failed to win, but the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix both drivers finished on the podium - Barrichello in second position, Irvine in third.

The team entered the next season with a new sponsor - the tobacco company Benson and Hedges, which sponsored Jordan until 2005 . Eddie Irvine left for Ferrari and was replaced by Martin Brundle, who moved from Ligier . The 1996 season Jordan once again finished 5th - this time with 22 points. The Irish team did not manage to win a place on the podium. In the 1997 season, the team's colors were changed to yellow and black (such colors remained until the end of Jordan's existence). The line-up has also completely changed - Brundle retired and Barrichello moved to Stewart . The new squad was formed by Giancarlo Fisichella and rookie - Ralf Schumacher . The best period in the history of the Irish team was beginning - although the team took 5th place in the constructors' classification (33 points), this time the drivers stood on the podium 3 times - once the younger of the Schumacher brothers, and twice Fisichella. The following season, the engines were changed to Mugen-Honda, and the Italian who left Benetton was replaced by the 1996 world champion, British Damon Hill, who joined the team from the very weak Arrows . He also won Jordan's first victory - in a rainy Belgian Grand Prix, mostly remembered for a huge crash at the start. Hill's partner, Ralf Schumacher, came second in this race. It was the only double win for the team. In addition, the younger Schumacher finished third at the Italian Grand Prix . Jordan finished the season in 4th place in the constructors' standings. Before the next season, Ralf Schumacher was replaced with Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who has been driving for the Frank Williams team so far. It turned out to be a good choice - the 1999 season turned out to be the best in the history of the team. The German fought Mikka Hakkinen and Eddie Irvin for the world championship for a long time. He stood on the podium 6 times, of which he won 2 times. Damon Hill was doing much worse this time - he scored only 7 points and ended his career after the season. Jordan Grand Prix, with 61 points on his account, took 3rd place in the constructors' standings of the 1999 season.

However, the 2000 season was much worse for Jordan - despite quite good positions in qualifying and two-thirds of Frentzen's places, the team scored just 17 points and only finished 6th in the constructors' standings. The next season's results were even worse, this time the competitors in the yellow cars did not win a single podium place for the first time since 1996. However, the team's total score was slightly higher and amounted to 19 points, which allowed it to take 5th place. In the 2002 season, Fisichella returned to the team. However, it was getting worse - the drivers scored only 9 points throughout the season (although it gave 6th place, just like the previous two seasons). After the season, the engine supplier was changed - instead of Honda, Cosworth was chosen. Jordan began to slide slowly to the bottom. Financial problems ensued. Although the team ended the 2003 season with a slightly greater score - 13 points, it was only enough for the 9th place in the constructors' championship. It's also worth noting that 10 of these 13 points were scored by Fisichella after his rather lucky victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix. The next season was even weaker - Nick Heidfeld and Giorgio Pantano (replaced in the last three races by Timo Glock ) scored just 5 points, which allowed only the weakest team - Minardi - to overtake for years.

On February 3, 2005, it was announced that in the last - as it turned out later season, the team will be racing debutants - Portuguese Tiago Monteiro, who previously served as the test driver of the Miniardi team, and Indian Narain Karthikeyan, who entered Formula 1 from the World Series by Nissan. The results were slightly better (12 points), but the place remained the same - 9. Eddie Jordan has sold the team to the Russian group Midland and from the next season the team has been transformed into MF1 Racing.

Results[change | change source]

Season Name Car Engine Drivers Points Pos.
1991 Republic of Ireland Team 7Up Jordan 191 Ford HB4 3.5 V8 Belgium Bertrand Gachot

Germany Michael Schumacher

Brazil Roberto Moreno

Italy Alessandro Zanardi

Italy Andrea de Cesaris
13 5
1992 Republic of Ireland Sasol Jordan 192 Yamaha OX99 3.5 V12 Italy Stefano Modena

Brazil Maurício Gugelmin
1 11
1993 Republic of Ireland Sasol Jordan 193 Hart 1035 3.5 V10 Brazil Rubens Barrichello

Italy Ivan Capelli

Belgium Thierry Boutsen

Italy Marco Apicella

Italy Emanuele Naspetti

United Kingdom Eddie Irvine
3 11
1994 Republic of Ireland Sasol Jordan 194 Hart 1035 3.5 V10 Brazil Rubens Barrichello

United Kingdom Eddie Irvine

Japan Aguri Suzuki

Italy Andrea de Cesaris
28 5
1995 Republic of Ireland Total Jordan Peugeot 195 Peugeot A10 3.0 V10 Brazil Rubens Barrichello

United Kingdom Eddie Irvine
21 6
1996 Republic of Ireland Benson & Hedges Jordan Peugeot 196 Peugeot A12 EV5 3.0 V10 Brazil Rubens Barrichello

United Kingdom Martin Brundle
22 5
1997 Republic of Ireland Benson & Hedges Jordan Peugeot 197 Peugeot A14 3.0 V10 Germany Ralf Schumacher

Italy Giancarlo Fisichella
33 5
1998 Republic of Ireland Benson & Hedges Jordan 198 Mugen-Honda MF-301 HC 3.0 V10 United Kingdom Damon Hill

Germany Ralf Schumacher
34 4
1999 Republic of Ireland Benson & Hedges Jordan 199 Mugen-Honda MF-301 HD 3.0 V10 United Kingdom Damon Hill

Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen
61 3
2000 Republic of Ireland Benson & Hedges Jordan EJ10

EJ10B
Mugen-Honda MF-301 HE 3.0 V10 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Italy Jarno Trulli
17 6
2001 Republic of Ireland Benson & Hedges Jordan Honda EJ11 Honda RA001E 3.0 V10 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Brazil Ricardo Zonta

Italy Jarno Trulli

France Jean Alesi
19 5
2002 Republic of Ireland DHL Jordan Honda EJ12 Honda RA002E 3.0 V10 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella

Japan Takuma Satō
9 6
2003 Republic of Ireland Jordan Ford EJ13 Ford RS1 3.0 V10 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella

Republic of Ireland Ralph Firman

Hungary Zsolt Baumgartner
13 9
2004 Republic of Ireland Jordan Ford EJ14 Ford RS2 3.0 V10 Germany Nick Heidfeld

Italy Giorgio Pantano

Germany Timo Glock
5 9
2005 Republic of Ireland Jordan Grand Prix EJ15

EJ15B
Toyota RVX-05 3.0 V10 Portugal Tiago Monteiro

India Narain Karthikeyan
12 9