Analysis: Stoddart Left Isolated after Jordan Exit

Life just got a whole lot lonelier for Minardi boss Paul Stoddart.

Never mind how tough it is at the top in Formula One, getting off the bottom is even harder and Stoddart fears his team could be further behind than ever this season following the departure of Eddie Jordan.

Stoddart branded his rival team owner 'Judas Jordan' - or JJ rather than the usual nickname EJ - after he felt let down by the Irish entrepreneur at a 2003 Canadian Grand Prix showdown with the paddock's wealthier teams.

But deep down they had a strong common bond, two wheeler-dealers with a passion for motor racing and determination to take on the establishment.

With Jordan finally selling up to Russian-born Canadian businessman Alex Shnaider's Midland Group this week, the sport has lost one of its most colourful characters and Stoddart feels even more isolated.

If Shnaider starts flashing the cash like Roman Abramovich did in soccer when he bought Chelsea, then the one team Minardi expect to be battling with this year could move out of reach.

"You all know that I jokingly call EJ "JJ" and everything but actually I love him to death and I think he's going to be sadly missed," said Stoddart. "He's a hell of a character but yes, I am a little bit lonely.

"Obviously we are going to have to lift our game," added the chain-smoking Australian, whose background is every bit as adventurous as Jordan's.

"If the effect of the new ownership is to inject enormous amounts of cash into Jordan, it makes my job tougher this year because quietly, without saying anything, I had felt quite optimistic that I could be racing Jordan in the second half of this year."

Get Real

"Perhaps if the money is spent in the right direction, and I'm sure they (Midland) have got good people who will tell them to do that, perhaps I may be rather lonely with a very minute budget compared to the nearest rival," said Stoddart.

"We've got the smallest budget in Formula One and if there were a championship for best value per dollar spent, we'd win a string of them.

"But there isn't so we've got to get real, we've got to lift our game," he added. "That's all that's left for us to do, we've got to find more sponsorship or more money from Bernie (Ecclestone)."

Minardi took one point last year, compared to Jordan's five, and both teams looked in danger of going under when Ford announced the sale of their engine supplier Cosworth. Jordan were saved by Toyota stepping in with an engine, one of the best in the pitlane, while Minardi are staying with Cosworth.

However Jordan have only just taken delivery of their first engine and the chassis has had to be modified to accommodate it rather than the Cosworth, leaving the team racing against time to be ready for Melbourne on March 6.

Stoddart said Minardi would run the first three races with a modified 2004 car before having their new car and engine package at Imola in late April.

"From Imola I'm quietly optimistic that we can kick a bit of ass but it will be limited," he said.

Dying Breed

With the disappearance of Jordan, Formula One has four independent teams but two of them - Red Bull and Jordan/Midland - are now run by billion-dollar businesses with a clear marketing strategy.

While Sauber have consistently punched above their weight, Jordan was the one who flew highest with four wins from 231 races over 14 years. In 1999, they finished third in the Championship.

Well-supported, and at one time probably the best recognised brand after Ferrari, Jordan were the most vulnerable of the independents as the only one heavily reliant on tobacco sponsorship which will be banned this year in the EU.

Their fall from grace as race-winners to tail-enders served as another harsh reminder of how quickly Formula One fortunes can change.

"Eddie, I think, was struggling with only racing me, he was really struggling with that," said Stoddart. "I just wish him nothing but the best.

"I've got a lot of time for Eddie Jordan and I'm going to miss him sadly. But I am sure that we have not seen the last of Eddie Jordan in the pitlane, I promise you that."