Eddie Jordan: 10 iconic highlights of an F1 legend

Formula 1 is mourning the loss of one its most loveable and memorable characters, the one and only Eddie Jordan.

It was last year that Eddie revealed he had been undergoing treatment for prostate and bladder cancer which had spread to his spine and pelvis, and only in February 2025 had he told the world that “the outlook and the future is great”. It is a vicious and truly awful disease which Eddie, over the last year, did an amazing job in raising awareness over.

The 10 F1 highlights of Eddie Jordan

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Now, we look back at Eddie’s 10 greatest moments from a Formula 1 career which will never be forgotten.

Starting Jordan Grand Prix

A champion on the junior scene, racing was Eddie’s life and in late 1979, he founded his own team, Eddie Jordan Racing.

By 1991, Jordan Grand Prix hit the F1 grid, a team which would win four grands prix and captured the hearts of F1 fans around the globe.

Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher, plus Grand Prix winners including Ralf Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello and Eddie Irvine, all owe their big breaks in F1 to Jordan after debuting with his team.

Discovering Michael Schumacher

Of all the great drivers to have represented Jordan Grand Prix, the name which will always stand out is that of Michael Schumacher, the F1 icon who Eddie introduced to the sport.

Replacing the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher wowed by qualifying P7, his race sadly ending after it had barely got going due to a clutch failure, with Schumacher snapped up by Benetton for the next round.

Seven World Championships, 91 wins, 155 podiums and 68 pole positions later, Schumacher became the cream of the crop in Eddie’s pool of discovered gems.

Irish anthem plays in F1 for first time

By 1999, Eddie brought immense pride to his home nation of Ireland as their national anthem played out for the first time in F1 at the 1999 French Grand Prix, after Heinz-Harald Frentzen claimed victory at Magny-Cours.

That was the first of two wins for team and driver that season, with Frentzen emerging victorious again at Monza.

The Irish anthem should have been played already at Spa in 1998, but the FIA couldn’t find a copy of Amhrán na BhFiann, and played God Save the Queen instead!

That special Spa one-two

Speaking of Spa 1998, that was the scene of an iconic one-two finish for Jordan Grand Prix, the first and only time such a result was achieved by the team.

Damon Hill took the win from Ralf Schumacher, but after it emerged that Eddie had ordered Ralf to hold position, Michael Schumacher went storming over to Eddie’s motorhome and bought his younger brother out of his Jordan contract, Ralf next season joining Williams.

The dance down the pit lane

But, Spa 1998 was a day of celebration for Eddie and the Jordan team.

That was evident when he broke out a jig, dancing his way down the pit lane in celebration. What a scene!

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2003 Brazil win against all odds

The 2000s were not as fruitful for Jordan Grand Prix, which made it that much sweeter when the team took a shock fourth and final F1 win at the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Due to confusion over the timing of a red flag in the rain-affected race, McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen was initially declared the winner, but a post-race appeal saw Jordan’s Giancarlo Fischella promoted from P2 to victor.

At the following race at Imola, an unofficial ceremony took place where Räikkönen and McLaren boss Ron Dennis handed over the trophies to Fisichella and Eddie.

Selling Jordan Grand Prix

2005 marked the end of an era, as this was the final season in Formula 1 for Jordan Grand Prix.

Eddie would sell his F1 outfit to Midland Group for $60 million, with a 2006 rebranding to Midland MF1 Racing following, the team evolving to Spyker, Force India, Racing Point and its current identity of Aston Martin from there.

Jordan’s F1 crystal ball

After selling his team, Eddie remained involved with the world of Formula 1 as a pundit, and generated a reputation for his ‘crystal ball’ moments, accurately predicting some of the biggest F1 stories.

Lewis Hamilton leaving McLaren for Mercedes, and Michael Schumacher returning in 2010 with Mercedes, were two shining examples.

Negotiating Adrian Newey to Aston Martin

And Eddie’s continued F1 influence was felt in a major way in 2024 as the shock announcement broke that F1 design guru Adrian Newey was leaving Red Bull, with it emerging during that process that Eddie was in fact his manager!

Eddie later negotiated a huge move to Aston Martin for Newey, which saw him take on the newly-created managing technical partner role and receive shares in the team.

Bringing prostate cancer to the fore

In recent years, Eddie had been captivating listeners with his appearances on the Formula For Success podcast alongside 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard, and it was through this podcast that he broke the news of his cancer diagnosis to the world.

Using the respect and following he generated from an iconic F1 career, Jordan would use this as the platform to openly discuss prostate cancer and his treatment, giving men the confidence, assurance and encouragement to get tested and protect their health.

An F1 career and personality which will never be forgotten. There’s only one Eddie Jordan. RIP Eddie.

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