Eddie Jordan Q&A

"It's a bit of a coup. We had to do it a variety of reasons, but the nicest reason is he's talented. I really think he is."



"First of all Ian [Phillips] and I talked to Andrew about 18 months ago, when he became his manager. He still test drives for us, he does a lot of simulation runs for the aero package stuff, and we just thought it was Andrew being Andrew, because he's a friend of the team. But as we looked at the driver we were very impressed. He won the last couple of races in F3 last year, and when Ian and I spoke to him we recommended do not do F3000, stay and do another year of F3. It's usually a good sign when a driver's natural inclination is to move up - it takes somebody supremely confident to go back and dominate in F3, because it's not easy. And he absolutely dominated in the wet, in the dry, from the front, from the middle, wherever. The thing that impressed me along the way was how cool he was, how calm. The big race in Zandvoort was a mind blower. He blew everybody off."



"We didn't want to get too confused. We advised him not to do a test driving role, and concentrate on F3. Of course when he was offered a limited testing programme at BAR, I could see why he would want to do that. We didn't have a contract with him, but we were advising him in his career through Andrew. So therefore I think there was a relationship between us and him going back a long time. We were helping him with his contract."



"As the year went on I thought maybe he would do a fulltime test year next year with us, if he was good enough, or even we'd try to sign him and use him in another team for a year, because it's a crucial time for us and we have to make big results. But then Zandvoort happened, and then he started winning more and more races, and then he started doing more and more tests for BAR. Of course then we monitored very carefully his tests, what tyres he had, we tried to find out what fuel he had. He would tell us what he felt, and then we were able to evaluate it and say he was ready for F1 straight away. I think it was both Zandvoort and the recent [BAR] tests in Mugello that convinced us beyond all doubt that we were going to sign him. We were talking about it for six or eight weeks."



"To be fair at that stage we were talking to Honda as well. I have a very big soft spot for Jean, and Taku for me was the only driver... it was either Jean and Fisichella, or Taku and Fisichellla. That's how it was."



"He was brilliant at Indianapolis. How he kept Ralf behind was one of the best clean pieces of driving I've seen in a long time. But I think it's a very difficult thing, to come in and compete against somebody like Jarno, who's been there such a long time, and I tell you Jarno is a top man in qualifying. I think Jean did a great job, and I think if he does have to leave, and I hope and believe that he doesn't have to, but if he does he leaves in a better position than when he was with Prost, for example."



"We haven't agreed it. It's conjecture."



"Of course he can say what he likes. But we have spoken a little bit about it."



"No one knows yet."



"The very words I've used! Don't worry. It was a combination of his very first time in an F1 car with us, and then a year older, to do what he did. I think probably one of the major things was that BAR test at Mugello. I noticed they cancelled the last couple of tests, which is a shame..."



"That is important, but it is secondary. The primary objective, within the philosophy at Jordan, is a driver has to be quick, and has to have the potential, and there's no doubt this driver has great potential. There is a bonus to that in that corporate Japan really needs to get behind him, to take full value. But I'm sure that will happen, and it will happen in time. With regard to Honda and so on, he is in Jordan because of his talents. I don't wish to underestimate that, it's a significant part of the message that we are making."



"It's secondary nevertheless. I need a talented driver, and the fact that he's Japanese, the fact that he was helped by Honda... But Honda didn't make any pressure on us to do this. This a completely self-inspired situation by Jordan. But Honda has helped his career, no doubt, and Honda need credit too. They helped his F3 career."



"No doubt about it. Bridgestone were very helpful."



"It's always nice to see it. There a lot of good Brazilians and Italians and British or whatever. It was nice to see a Colombian. We've tested an Indian driver, Narain Karthikeyan and it would be nice to see an Indian there. We now have a really top flight Japanese in F1. I think it's positive. I think it makes F1 what it truly is, which is a global experience."