Eddie Jordan was never shy about sharing his opinion of Formula 1 driver, either in his role as a team principal or a pundit.
The current crop of F1 drivers haven’t had the easiest start to the season, with torrential rain in Australia followed by a Sprint weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix.
However, several stars have already stood out, and one in particular caught Eddie Jordan’s attention over the past few seasons before his sad passing.
Jordan was a champion of giving young drivers their opportunity in Formula 1 while he was in charge of Jordan Grand Prix.
The likes of Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, Giancarlo Fisichella, among others all got their first proper break in the sport under Jordan.
Mark Webber was another driver who benefited from Jordan’s intervention earlier in his racing career before racing F1 with Minardi.
He’s now McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s manager and has shared a touching story about Jordan’s interest in the young Australian’s progression.
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Eddie Jordan sent ‘endless messages’ to Mark Webber about Oscar Piastri
Webber was speaking to David Coulthard on an episode of the Formula For Success Podcast and reminiscing about Jordan.
He explained: “He loved Oscar. He always sent these endless messages, which I’ll keep forever about Oscar coming in and doing what he’s doing.
“And I think even, as you just said mate [David Coulthard], he was looking after you, whatever way it was on that hill in New Zealand, he was looking after you [after Coulthard crashed his bike].
“And then a few days later, Oscar won in Shanghai. And I think that he would have enjoyed that victory as well, because he was a big fan of Oscar.
“But I think he loved the enthusiasm with the youngsters, mate.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Lando Norris |
44 |
| 2 |
Max Verstappen |
36 |
| 3 |
George Russell |
35 |
| 4 |
Oscar Piastri |
34 |
| 5 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
22 |
| 6 |
Alexander Albon |
16 |
“He wanted the enthusiasm and passion and the rawness. Yes, he had Damon Hill, [Heinz-Harald] Frentzen, and he had some older established guys when he needed them, of course, to steady the ship in his Grand Prix team.
“But I think that his heart was still in giving people a crack, because he could relate to that, couldn’t he?
“He could really relate to actually, that was his journey.”
READ MORE: Eddie Jordan’s top 10 moments in Formula 1 from discovering Michael Schumacher to winning his first Grand Prix
Eddie Jordan hailed Oscar Piastri as ‘world-class’ after one 2024 Formula 1 race
Jordan never hid his admiration for Piastri ever since he made his debut for McLaren in 2023.
Piastri led tributes to Jordan’s passing when it was announced ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, with the Irishman’s impact on the sport set to last for a very long time.
The 23-year-old won his first race in Hungary last year, but Jordan hailed Piastri as ‘world-class’ following his victory in Azerbaijan.
| Category | Lando Norris | Oscar Piastri |
| 2024 points | 374 | 292 |
| Grand Prix results | 16 | 8 |
| Grand Prix qualifying | 20 | 4 |
| Grand Prix wins | 4 | 2 |
| Grand Prix poles | 8 | 0 |
| Grand Prix podiums | 13 | 8 |
| Best finish | 1st | 1st |
| Retirements | 1 | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 6 | 1 |
| Grand Prix points finishes | 23 | 23 |
| Sprint results | 3 | 3 |
| Sprint Qualifying | 4 | 2 |
| Sprint wins | 1 | 1 |
| Sprint poles | 2 | 1 |
| Sprint podiums | 4 | 3 |
He had to pull off one of the best overtaking moves of the season on Charles Leclerc to win the race, before holding him and Sergio Perez off in the closing stages.
As Webber said, it was fitting that Piastri won the race immediately after Jordan’s death, although Coulthard is unlikely to feel quite as lucky after his bike accident that same day.
It speaks volumes about the character Jordan was that he was so positive to Webber about Piastri’s future, even if he had no reason to support the young Australian.
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