Eddie Jordan, who has died aged 76, was one of the most charismatic, cheerful yet toughest Formula 1 team principals of his time. Motorsport Week takes a look back at his life and career.

It was Monza, 1991. Jordan’s eponymous F1 team was in its first season of competing in the world’s biggest motorsport. He arrived in Italy under a cloud of confusion and disappointment, as he fought to cling on to his new driver, one Michael Schumacher. The German had made his debut at the previous round in Belgium, and stunned everyone with a seventh-place qualifying result, and even reached fifth before retiring at the top of the hill after Eau Rouge on the first lap, but his rising star status was already rubber-stamped.

So much so, that Benetton boss Flavio Briatore made an audacious attempt to lure Schumacher to his team, and successfully did so. Legal wrangling ensued, and a furious Jordan was resigned to losing his new young talent via a legally complex yet sinister coup.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis smiled at Jordan, and proclaimed: “Welcome to the piranha club.”

The club in question was the name given to the pack of team bosses and F1’s supremo promoter, Bernie Ecclestone. It may have been rough, tough and dog-eat-dog, but Jordan, with his Irish background and strong personality, would have always been prepared for a fight.

From Dublin to Le Mans – Eddie Jordan’s beginnings in racing

Born in Dublin on March 30 1948, Jordan resisted his family’s suggestion of becoming a dentist, and after also briefly entertaining the idea of entering the priesthood and being a bank clerk, he chose an entirely different career path.

Irish Kart Champion at the first attempt in 1971, Jordan was in Formula Ford just three years later, and then Formula 3 a year after that, but a horrific leg-breaking accident at Mallory Park enforced a year’s sabbatical.

After stints in the Irish Formula Atlantic series and British Formula 3, Jordan even went as high as Formula 2 and tested a McLaren F1 car.

Alongside British driver David Hobbs and David O’Rourke – manager of rock band Pink Floyd – Jordan entered the 1981 Le Mans 24 Hours, driving a BMW M1, which agonisingly retired two hours from the end. By this time, Jordan was already a team owner and gave up racing himself to shift his full attention onto helping a new breed of drivers, many of whom would wind up in F1.

Tackling Senna en route to F1

Eddie Jordan Racing’s first chunk of notoriety perhaps came in 1983, when, whilst also running a European F3 team, his British F3 team was fighting at the front, with its driver Martin Brundle going toe-to-toe with a Brazilian upstart called Ayrton Senna.

In the 20-race championship, only one was won by a driver that was neither Senna nor Brundle, who duly went into the final round at Thruxton seeking the title. Senna dominated and won by 10 points, but the battle lived so long in the memory, that it surely helped secure Jordan’s team with a reputation as one of the ones to be part of.

Four years later, Jordan’s team did win the title via British sensation Johnny Herbert. Reputed to be one of the greatest talents of his era, Herbert and Jordan made their way up to Formula 3000 [now F2] – the premier feeder series to F1. With both men perhaps sensing the pinnacle of motor racing was around the corner, Herbert’s title dream came to a shuddering halt at Brands Hatch with a crash that left him with shattered feet, almost requiring amputation.

Whilst Herbert managed to work his way into F1 for the next year, Jordan remained in F3000. The team dominated the campaign and won the title thanks to its exciting French-Sicilian prospect, Jean Alesi. He too, like Herbert and his team-mate Martin Donnelly, was in F1 straightaway, but Jordan’s time of having his own team in the big-time was nearing ever closer.

Pre-qualifying, gassing cabbies and losing Schumacher – Jordan’s eventful first year

Jordan Grand Prix was launched in 1991, and, like all new and/or struggling teams at that time, arrived in Phoenix for Round 1 needing to ‘pre-qualify’, setting a time deemed fast enough to make it into regular qualifying for the race.

The car – the 191 – immediately made an impression with its green-and-blue livery, backed by a lead sponsor in soft drinks brand 7 Up, and is still today ranked in polls as one of the best-looking F1 cars of all time.

Belgian Bertrand Gachot and gaffe-prone Italian veteran Andrea de Cesaris were chosen for the task, and Gachot made it into the race on the tight, dusty street circuit, eventually finishing 10th. Whilst the team initially struggled for pace, Jordan did not need to wait long for points to come, and they did so in a pair, with de Cesaris and Gachot coming home fourth and fifth in the fifth round in Canada.

Perhaps its biggest challenge came before Gachot’s home race, when he was jailed for spraying CS gas in the face of a London taxi driver, earning him a short stint in prison. This was how Jordan unearthed the rising sportscar driver Schumacher and quickly lost him to Briatore. Ever the tough and uncompromising dealer looking to get a bargain, Jordan signed up Roberto Moreno, who was ousted by Schumacher in the Benetton team, effectively sealing a straight swap.

The team ended 1991 an astonishing fifth in the Constructors’ Championship with a haul of 12 points, placing it above longstanding teams such as Tyrrell, Lotus and Brabham.

The ’90s – Jordan become the rock n roll F1 team

1992 and ’93 were tough years for Eddie Jordan, regressing in terms of performance, and managing a meagre four points across both seasons.

1994, however, saw a second breakthrough, with the help of two drivers Jordan helped to bring through the ranks.

Rubens Barrichello, who made his debut the year before, and Eddie Irvine, who was promoted after a late cameo alongside him, were tasked with helping the team regain its momentum, with the help of Brian Hart’s V10 engines. At the second round – the Pacific Grand Prix – Barrichello took his, and the team’s, first podium, with third.

The next round saw Barrichello suffer a horrific accident at Imola, the first in the chain that claimed the lives of Roland Ratzenberger and his old adversary Senna. The team performed well over the year, with Barrichello nabbing a rain-assisted pole position at Spa.

1995 saw a similar vein of form, this time through Peugeot engines, with Barrichello and Irvine securing a double-podium in Canada, alongside winner Alesi, which made Jordan feel it was, in a sentimental way, a Jordan 1-2-3.

1996 saw Irvine jump ship to Ferrari, and Barrichello partnered with Brundle, reuniting with Jordan after 13 years. Another fifth place in the Constructors’ followed, with 1997 taking on a new look which became synonymous with the team.

Title sponsor Benson & Hedges enabled Jordan to unveil a yellow livery, also boasting a new line-up in rising stars Giancarlo Fisichella and Ralf Schumacher, and despite the pair clashing at Round 3 in Argentina, Schumacher took third, with Fisichella taking third and second in Canada and Belgium.

1998 brought a new set of twists and turns, replacing Benetton-bound Fisichella with 1996 World Champion Damon Hill. The team suffered a horrific start to the year, scoring no points until Round 9 at Silverstone via Schumacher, but then, a total 180 saw Jordan enjoy perhaps his greatest day.

Hill got off the board in Germany, and then Hungary, before the team arrived in Belgium for Round 13.

Qualifying third, Hill upset Jordan by refusing to partake in sponsorship commitments, telling him he needed to work into the night with the team to help secure a good result on race day, a decision that was, via some fortune, vindicated. In torrential Ardennes rain, a multi-car pileup at the start was avoided by both drivers, and Hill claimed the lead at Turn 1 on the restart but was quickly dispatched by Schumacher Sr’s charging Ferrari.

But, after ploughing into the back of David Coulthard’s McLaren, Schumacher was out and Hill was in the lead. Hill, aware that Ralf was catching him, told the team over the radio that a team order would guarantee a 1-2 finish.

Jordan quickly made the order, and together, the two cars skated across the line to take that one-two, with a jubilant Jordan almost skipping down the pit lane and onto the podium as a winning constructor for the first time.

Title challengers to selling out

Jordan signed Heinz-Harald Frentzen in 1999 and together, the German came as close as the team ever did to the championship. Had he not retired at the Nurburgring, Frentzen would have likely won the race, putting him a point within the top with just two rounds to go.

It never got as good for the team again after that, with Jordan firing Frentzen in mid-2001, and replacing him with Alesi, in another reunion between boss and driver.

Jordan’s final moment in the sun again came, ironically, in the rain, with Fisichella – now back at the team – taking a contentious victory in Brazil, which was eventually claimed through the FIA courts in Paris after a timekeeping error initially denied the Italian the win.

The team suffering financial strife, Jordan reluctantly sold the team to the Midland Group for $60 million, eventually becoming Midland F1 Racing. Midland made way for Spyker, Force India then Racing Point, and now, Aston Martin, still operating at Silverstone like Jordan did.

Jordan the man – drummer, media pundit, podcaster and the fountain of knowledge

Jordan became a TV pundit with the BBC in 2009, and quickly developed a reputation for being the man with the inside knowledge on all things F1.

He was the first to break the news that Schumacher would return to F1 with Mercedes for 2010, and told the world that Lewis Hamilton would replace him for 2013.

Always known as a man to have fun and with strings to his bow, Jordan had many extracurricular hobbies, such as playing the drums in various bands, and often playing with other driver musicians at a post-British Grand Prix concert at Silverstone.

In recent years, Jordan began his own podcast entitled Formula For Success, alongside fellow pundit Coulthard. Interviewing a plethora of drivers from their respective time in the sport, the show was often humourous and light-hearted in nature and grew a considerable following.

Known to be a man who knew how to secure a good deal, Jordan’s final crowning glory was his role in helping one of F1’s greatest technical gurus make a big money move. Jordan managed Adrian Newey in his negotiations to leave Red Bull and join Aston Martin, helping him secure a move to the team that operates on the same site on which Jordan Grand Prix opened its doors 34 years ago.

Jordan is survived by Marie, and their four children, Zoe, Miki, Zak and Kyle.

READ MORE: Tributes pour in following tragic passing of F1 legend Eddie Jordan

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Tributes have poured in following the tragic passing of former Formula 1 team owner turned pundit, Eddie Jordan.

Jordan’s family wrote that he “passed away peacefully with family by his side in Cape Town in the early hours of 20 March 2025.”

The Irishman had recently been battling prostate cancer, he was 76.

A passionate independent team owner who led his eponymous F1 outfit from 1991 through 2005, Jordan left a profound impact on the sport. He later became an equally passionate pundit and tributes to the F1 legend followed the news of his untimely passing.

Colleagues past and present pay tribute to Jordan

“We are deeply saddened to hear about the sudden loss of Eddie Jordan,” said F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali. “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.”

Williams driver Carlos Sainz wrote on X, saying “Extremely sad to learn that Eddie has passed away. A true icon and loved character of our sport. Passionate, loyal and truly one of a kind. He will be dearly missed. R.I.P.”

Jordan gave F1 opportunities to several driving talents granting Michael Schumacher his 1991 debut and Martin Brundle a seat to close out his career in 1996.

On X, Brundle wrote “RIP my friend. Condolences to each and every one of your lovely family. What a character. What a rock star. What a racer. So many drivers owe you so much, you gave us our chances and believed in us.”

Jordan leaves a lasting legacy – Aston Martin

Jordan’s F1 team continued in his absence under several guises and is now thriving as Aston Martin. Team Principal and CEO Andy Cowell added to the tributes.

“Eddie Jordan was one of the all-time motorsport greats,” wrote Cowell. “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.”

Aston Martin Team Owner Lawrence Stroll added: “Eddie Jordan was a true racer, a great leader, and one of the biggest characters in our sport. He was a friend who I have known for more than thirty years and I will miss him greatly. My thoughts, and those of everybody at Aston Martin, are with his family and friends.”

Jordan’s F1 punditry work ended with Channel 4 but he spent several years presenting with BBC alongside Jake Humphrey, who wrote an emotional tribute to his former colleague and friend.

“Formula 1 won’t see the likes of Eddie ever again where a guy with a love for racing can hustle his way into the sport and end up winning races,” he wrote on X.

“More important than race wins though, he won hearts. I will never forget how his face would always light up whenever he saw a Jordan GP jacket, flag or cap… as we travelled the world together years after the team had been sold.

“His greatest achievements were Mikki, Zoe, Kyle and Zak. His incredible four kids who share his spirit. His wife Marie is one of the strongest, most wonderful women I have ever met.

“The four years we spent together hosting F1 on the BBC were the greatest of my career. Wing-walking, scooter riding, car driving madness that I know he loved deeply.

“His incredible spirit and love of life lives on in me, and my children who were lucky enough to meet him and hear all about him.

“Eddie lit up a room whenever he entered it. That is a lesson for us all – be the light in the room. I was lucky enough to share one final, cherished meal with him and his boys a few months ago. It was special. We talked about me doing one final interview with him. Sadly that will never happen.

“As I left his final words were ‘I love you brother’ One of the Three Amigos is gone. The world seems a little less bright this morning. Farewell friend. Play the spoons up there for me.”

Those tributes are the tip of the iceberg, with teams, drivers, peers, colleagues and more all left impacted by Jordan’s passing.

It goes to show the positive mark he’s left on our sport and how he will be sorely missed.

READ MORE – Former F1 team boss and icon Eddie Jordan dies aged 76

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Former Formula 1 team boss turned pundit Eddie Jordan has tragically passed away aged 76 after a battle with cancer.

The Irishman leaves a profound mark on the sport he dedicated his life to and will be sorely missed.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Eddie Jordan OBE, the ex-Formula 1 team owner, TV pundit and entrepreneur,” a statement from his family said.

“He passed away peacefully with family by his side in Cape Town in the early hours of 20 March 2025.”

Jordan had been battling aggressive prostate cancer before his passing.

Before recent generations knew him as a passionate pundit, Jordan was a shining example of against-the-odds independent team ownership in the face of giants.

His Jordan Grand Prix team made its F1 debut in 1991, rising above the challenges of pre-qualifying to finish fifth in the standings.

After 15 years of F1 team ownership, Jordan oversaw four GP wins and a David versus Goliath title challenge in 1999.

His team continues to this day under the name of Aston Martin.

After handing over ownership of his beloved F1 team, Jordan turned to the life of punditry with BBC and later Channel 4, as well as presenting a podcast with David Coulthard, Formula For Success.

It was on the Formula For Success podcast where Jordan praised the healthcare professionals who helped him through his battle with cancer.

“God bless those guys in the medical field,” he said, adding an important notice of checking on one’s health.

“I must say, look guys and girls, don’t be afraid. Go and get tested. I’ll just leave it at that.”

Those words will no doubt ensure countless people will seek vital medical treatment, and adds to Jordan’s already profoundly positive legacy.

“Eddie and Jordan Grand Prix were known for their rock and roll image, bringing a fun and exciting element to F1, as well as consistently performing above their weight,” his family’s statement continued.

“Many successful F1 drivers owe their career breaks to Eddie, and world champions including Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill drove for him.

“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.”

Rest in peace legend.

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