Jordan Grand Prix

Jordan Grand Prix is a Formula One constructor that debuted in 1991. The team is named after Irish-born founder Edmund "Eddie" Jordan. Jordan and his team were well known for a "rock and roll" attitude which added colour and character to Formula One in the 1990s.

Descent

For 2000 Hill was replaced by Jarno Trulli, who proved to be an improvement. Frentzen, however, was not as successful as he'd been the previous year, and the team slipped back to 6th in the Constructors' Championship.

Related Topics:
2000 - Jarno Trulli

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Both drivers returned to start 2001 and Jordan switched to regular Honda engines which were already being supplied to rival team BAR. This would lead to a battle for the right to use the Honda engines in the long term. Frentzen, as he was released from the team in mid-season, for reasons that still are not entirely clear to the public. Frentzen was replaced by test driver Ricardo Zonta at the German Grand Prix, but his long-term replacement was Jean Alesi, who was in the final stages of his Formula One career. Amidst all the turmoil, Trulli managed to score points every now and then, and the team, as it had done many times before, finished 5th.

Related Topics:
2001 - Honda - BAR - Ricardo Zonta - German Grand Prix - Jean Alesi

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Jordan re-organized in 2002, with Fisichella returning and Takuma Sato joining the team, thanks in no small part to Honda's support of the team. Neither driver was particularly competitive, however. The fact the team finished 6th in the Championship had as much to do with the team tending to be in the right place at the right time more often than not. By this time, Jordan were clearly on a downward spiral.

Related Topics:
2002 - Takuma Sato

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For 2003, Honda left Jordan to concentrate on their partnership with BAR. Jordan had to make do with Ford Cosworth engines, and the season was one of the weirdest for a team in recent Formula One history. Only Minardi had a worse year than Jordan in terms of the Constructors' Championship, yet Jordan was able to celebrate a victory. The win came under extraordinary circumstances in the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix which took place in torrential weather conditions. Following a massive accident on the start / finish straight, the race was red flagged and stopped. After some initial confusion, Giancarlo Fisichella was initially ruled to have finished a still remarkable second behind Kimi Räikkönen who took the top step on the podium. However, an FIA inquiry several days later led to Fisichella being officially declared the winner of his first F1 race. Fisichella was, therefore, unable to celebrate his first career victory on the top step of the podium, although he and Räikkönen swapped trophies in a presentation at the following Grand Prix. Aside from the unlikely win, neither Fisichella or new teammate Ralph Firman were able to have any sort of success in their Jordans. After Firman was injured in practice for the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix Jordan fielded the first ever Hungarian Formula One driver, Zsolt Baumgartner.

Related Topics:
2003 - Honda - BAR - Ford - Cosworth - 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix - Kimi Räikkönen - FIA - Ralph Firman - 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix - Hungarian - Zsolt Baumgartner

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In 2004, Jordan struggled financially, and their status for the future was questionable. The team fielded German Nick Heidfeld, who came from Sauber, and Italian rookie Giorgio Pantano. However, mid-way through the season Pantano was replaced by Timo Glock due to commercial difficulties and the fact that he failed to live up to expectations on the track. The season brought no improvement ? it merely confirmed Jordan's status as a backmarker, battling with the Minardis.

Related Topics:
2004 - German - Nick Heidfeld - Sauber - Italian - Giorgio Pantano - Timo Glock - Minardi

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After the Ford Motor Company's decision to put Cosworth up for sale, Jordan had been left without an engine deal for 2005. However, at short notice, Toyota agreed to supply Jordan with engines identical to those in the Toyota F1 cars. At the beginning of 2005, the team was sold to Midland Group (run by businessman Alex Shnaider). The Jordan name will still be used for the 2005 Formula One season, before changing to Midland F1 for the 2006 season. Throughout 2005 journalists questioned whether Midland were in Formula One for the long haul. Rumours circulated throughout the season that the team was for sale, and that Eddie Irvine was interested in buying the team. The year also saw the induction of two new rookie racers, Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro. The 2005 merely confirmed Jordan's status at the back of the grid.

Related Topics:
Ford Motor Company - Cosworth - 2005 - Toyota - Toyota F1 - Midland Group - Alex Shnaider - Midland F1 - 2006 - Eddie Irvine - Narain Karthikeyan - Tiago Monteiro

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