The late Eddie Jordan gave seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher his big break at Jordan but the German raced only once for the team
Eddie Jordan gave Michael Schumacher his big break in F1 at Jordan, but the German raced only once for the team.
The late, great Jordan played a crucial mentor role in the career of F1’s greatest stars in their early years on the grid. The former team owner, who died at the age of 76 on Thursday following a battle with bladder and prostate cancer, also played a major part in Schumacher’s dominant career.
Schumacher is the joint most-decorated F1 champ in the sport’s history, and his journey began under the wing of Jordan in 1991.
Needing a driver at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix after Bertrand Gachot was sent to prison for attacking a taxi driver, Jordan agreed a deal to sign the 22-year-old driver, but it turned out to be on false pretences.
“First, he lied to me – I had asked him if he had ever been to Spa,” Jordan said, of giving Schumacher his debut. “I meant, of course, if he had driven there before.
“He simply said ‘yes’. Okay, he wasn’t cheating, but he had never raced there. If I had known that, I wouldn’t have let him drive.
“In my opinion, it was impossible to get to know the most difficult track and a new car in one weekend. His seventh place on the grid was therefore exceptional.
“His experienced team-mate [Andrea] de Cesaris, who wasn’t exactly considered slow on the scene, didn’t stand a chance. Seventh place was like pole position for us.”
Despite Schumacher being forced to retire from the race due to a clutch issue on the first lap, he had already made his mark, and became one of the most sought-after drivers on the grid without even completing an F1 lap.
Ahead of the next race weekend, Benetton-Ford swooped to sign the rising star. Jordan applied for an injunction to prevent Schumacher from racing for Benetton, but lost the case due to the German having not yet signed a contract with Jordan.
Schumacher would go on to win two world titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995 before he joined Ferrari, where he won five consecutive championships between 2000 and 2004.
Despite Schumacher’s unceremonious split from Jordan, the two remained close friends for years, with the former team principal gifting Schumacher a tongue-in-cheek present.
Jordan revealed: “At his 300th grand prix 20 years later, I handed him a new one (clutch), symbolically. Michael took me in his arms and said ‘Eddie, nobody would have thought back then that we would still be here.’ There were tears in my eyes.”
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