Eddie Jordan 1948 – 2025
Motorsport Ireland wish to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Eddie Jordan on his recent passing.
One of the biggest personalities in global motorsport, Jordan’s motorsport journey started in 1971 when he won the Irish Kart Championship. The following years saw him step up to Formula Ford and even a brief foray into rallying.
By 1977 Jordan switched to Formula Atlantic and won the Irish Formula Atlantic Championship the following season. A move to British Formula 3 was to follow but after a sole Formula 2 appearance at Donington Park in 1979, Jordan’s focus soon turned to team management.
Eddie Jordan Racing was founded in 1979 and it quickly became a front running team in British and European F3, gaining a reputation for finding exceptional talent. In 1982 Jordan gave a young Ayrton Senna his first taste of F3. Talents such as Martin Brundle, Johnny Herbert, Martin Donnelly and Jean Alesi starred for Eddie Jordan Racing in F3 and F3000 and by the end of the decade, Jordan had his sights set on Formula One.
Jordan Grand Prix was founded in 1991 with the Jordan 191 car in its iconic 7up livery taking the other teams by surprise. Jordan Grand Prix finished 5th in the Formula One Constructors' Championship that year but that season is best remembered for the Formula One debut of a young Michael Schumacher, who drove for Jordan in the Belgian Grand Prix.
In 1998 Jordan Mugen Honda (as it was then known) achieved its best ever result when Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher scored a 1-2 finish for the team at the Belgian Grand Prix. The following year was to be Jordan’s most successful at the top level with Heinz-Harald Frentzen emerging as a genuine title contender. Wins in France and Italy saw Frentzen finish 3rd in the Formula One Drivers’ Championship while Jordan Mugen Honda also finished 3rd in the Constructors’ Championship.
The highs of 1999 were never to be repeated and Jordan eventually sold the team in early 2005. The life of the team spanned 250 races over 15 years which included; 4 wins, 19 podiums, 2 pole positions and 2 fastest laps.
In 2007 Eddie was appointed as Chairman of Rally Ireland, the first round of the World Rally Championship to take place here and in 2011 he was inducted into the Motorsport Ireland Hall of Fame.
A burgeoning media career soon followed with Jordan becoming a Formula One pundit on BBC and Channel 4. In 2016, he landed a presenting role on Top Gear and in recent years co-presented the Formula For Success podcast with David Coulthard.
Jordan is survived by his wife Marie and their four children, Mikki, Zoe, Kyle and Zak.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.