Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan has died at the age of 76, succumbing to his battle against prostate cancer. He passed away in his Cape Town residence, his family stated on Thursday. From karting to owning an eponymous F1 team, the list is endless when it comes to Jordan’s impact and role in the world of F1.
The Jordan family shared the news and expressed their grief in a statement, that said:
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Eddie Jordan OBE the ex-Formula 1 team owner, TV pundit and entrepreneur.
He passed away peacefully with family by his side in Cape Town in the early hours of 20th March 2025 at the age of 76, after battling with an aggressive form of prostate cancer for the past 12 months.
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.
How It Began For Eddie Jordan
The man who became the cornerstone of motorsport actually started his career working first with the Bank of Ireland as a clerk. Although he had initially taken up the bank job to dodge priesthood and family coercion to pursue dentistry, it eventually led the Irishman to come across kart racing in 1970 during a banking strike in Bailiwick of Jersey. He shortly returned to Dublin and bought his own kart to start racing.
Jordan eventually entered the Irish Kart Championship in 1971, and won in his debut year. This was the beginning of Eddie Jordan’s journey in the world of motosports. After stints in Formula Ford, Irish Formula For Championship, Formula Three and Formula Atlantic, he raced in the 1981 24 hours of Le Mans.
Jordan Grand Prix
1991 was a year that was going to change the face of F1. Eddie Jordan founded the eponymous Formula One constructors, Jordan Grand Prix. The new team, based out of Britain’s Silverstone, was competing with an Irish license. It was the same year that Jordan launched Michael Schumacher, who would go on to become a seven-time F1 World Drivers’ Championship winner in the coming future.
But Schumacher was quick to jump to rival Benetton Formula after the race. His younger brother, Ralf Schumacher also competed for Jordan GP. The “Buzzing Hornets” achieved their best results when Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher finished 1-2 on the podium of the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot. The team was eventually sold to the Midland Group in 2005, and thus started the tale of multiple sales afterwards.
After Midland, the Irish constructors were sold to Dutch automobile company Spyker in 2007. Later in 2008, Indian business tycoon Vijay Mallya fulfilled his wish of owning an F1 team after buying the constructors. Spyker changed their name to Force India. Following Mallya’s downfall and multiple investigations into his legal indictments, Force India was eventually bought by Lawrence Stroll. However, the governing body of Formula 1, FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) did not allow the transfer of ownership. As a result, the original entry of Jordan Grand Prix came to an end.
The Stroll-led consortium was finally able to get the team ownership, and started racing under the name of Aston Martin Aramco F1, that currently features the owner’s son, Lance Stroll and veteran F1 driver Fernando Alonso. Although the journey of Jordan GP was brought to an end, Eddie’s prestigious team featured some of the reputed F1 drivers, including the likes of :
- Michael Schumacher
- Damon Hill
- Eddie Irvine
- Rubens Barrichello
- Giancarlo Fisichella
- Jean Alesi
- Michael Schumacher
- Heinz-Harald Frentzen
- Jarno Trulli
- Ralf Schumacher
- Damon Hill
- Eddie Irvine
- Tiago Monteiro
- Nick Heidfeld
- Takuma Sato
- Martin Brundle
- Bertrand Gachot
- Narain Karthikeyan
- Timo Glock
After Jordan GP’s tenure came to an end, Eddie continued to remain involved in the sport. The Irishman later became a pundit for BBC’s F1 coverage, before moving to Channel 4. He was also known for hosting the popular show Top Gear. Alongside his BBC colleague David Coulthard, Jordan also ran a podcast called Formula For Success.
During his time as a pundit, Jordan’s presence in the circuit and amongst the F1 drivers also enabled him to break some major news stories. These included Michael Schumacher’s return to F1 in 2010, Lewis Hamilton’s famous switch from Mercedes to McLaren, and the departure of Felipe Massa from Ferrari to name a few.
Another notable role played by Eddie was that of Adrian Newey’s manager. Jordan facilitated Newey’s departure from Red Bull Racing to join Aston Martin Aramco F1.
Tributes For Eddie Jordan
Following the sad news, tributes poured in from the F1 industry for the Irish businessman, who played a pivotal role in the sport, from being a founder-owner to a team principal. Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenciali said
We are deeply saddened to hear about the sudden loss of Eddie Jordan
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.
Red Bull Racing’s team principal, Christian Horner took to Instagram, and penned a post, saying
Very sorry to hear Eddie Jordan has sadly passed. Eddie was a hugely colourful character who I first met in 1991 as a young driver at his then new factory after his first year in Formula One. His advice, “get a good sponsor… welcome to the Piranha Club!”
I was fortunate to overlap with him when I came into Formula One. He was in the twilight of his F1 career race wise (indeed he even tried to sell me his team!) but went into other media activities where he was always full of energy and fun to work with. Formula One has lost a legend and we will miss his wit and his Irish charm. On behalf of Oracle Red Bull Racing we send our sincere condolences to Marie and the children at this sad time; our thoughts are with them.
God speed Eddie!
Tributes also came in from the Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team, who released official statements. Executive chairman Lawrence Stroll said:
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.
Andy Cowell, the CEO and Team Principal said:
Eddie Jordan was one of the all-time motorsport greats. 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.
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