The Formula 1 paddock has been hit with some hard news ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix following the passing of Eddie Jordan.
The ex-team owner and man who gave Michael Schumacher his first chance in the sport had a strong presence within the sport and owned the Jordan Grand Prix team for 14 years between 1991 and 2005.
Jordan’s old team is now known as Aston Martin, and have come a long way since he ran them out of their Silverstone base.
Following the sale of his team in 2005, Jordan went on to become a pundit with stints at the BBC and Channel 4.
Jordan once claimed he was the first person to ‘sell’ an F1 driver when he made £5 million sending Eddie Irvine to Ferrari.
For all he was a vibrant personality, once hilariously called a ‘village idiot’ by Ron Dennis, Jordan’s legacy in Formula 1 meant a lot to him. He always tried his best to pay his staff on time, despite the demands of running an independent team and was largely successful.
READ MORE: What Eddie Jordan said about Michael Schumacher before handing him his Formula 1 debut in 1991
Oscar Piastri leads emotional F1 driver tributes to Eddie Jordan
This weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix hosts the second race of the 2025 Formula 1 season, an event Jordan went to once as team boss in 2004 – the inaugural race there.
His drivers finished 13th and 15th in the race, with Nick Heidfeld just one position behind eventual champion Michael Schumacher.
All 20 drivers on the current grid are already in Shanghai for this weekend’s event, and some have been sharing their thoughts on social media already.
“Proper racer. Will be sorely missed,” wrote McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in an Instagram story.
“Extremely sad to learn that Eddie has passed away. A true icon and loved character of our sport. Passionate, loyal and truly one of a kind. He will be dearly missed. R.I.P,” said Carlos Sainz on his Instagram.
And finally, Esteban Ocon added on his Instagram: “I was lucky enough to know Eddie. A great character of our sport and an even better person. My thoughts are with his family and friends. RIP Eddie.”
READ MORE: Christian Horner sends message after Eddie Jordan’s death and shares the advice he gave him during his first year in F1
How Eddie Jordan lost Michael Schumacher to rival F1 team in 1991
The 1991 Belgian Grand Prix spelt the start of Schumacher’s great and distinguished Formula 1 career. He qualified seventh on debut, before retiring with a mechanical failure in the race.
It was enough for him to put Jordan’s rivals on high alert. Benetton signed him for the rest of the season and went on to win two drivers’ championships with him.
Jordan filed for an injunction which was rejected, as he hadn’t signed a final contract with the German yet. Who knows where he could have taken the team?
A few years later another Schumacher ended up at the team, but Michael bought brother Ralf out of his contract after Jordan’s team orders at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix – the team’s first-ever victory.
Team orders didn’t go down well and he left to join Williams for the start of 1999. Jordan nearly won the title that year courtesy of Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
