Firman Can be Rookie of the Year, Says Jordan

Eddie Jordan believes Britain's Ralph Firman can make a bigger splash in Formula One this season than either his compatriot Justin Wilson or CART champion Cristiano da Matta.

"I honestly can't see any reason why he won't be rookie of the year and the biggest surprise of the year," the Irish entrepreneur told reporters today, a day after the 27-year-old signed up as his team's second driver.

"There's nobody in Formula One who has had a better junior category of racing than Ralph. He's been a champion in every category he's done. We know he'll be good and he knows how to bring the car home."

Firman will be making his Formula One debut in Australia next month along with Brazilian newcomer da Matta at Toyota, former Formula 3000 champion Wilson at Minardi and Brazil's former Williams test driver Antonio Pizzonia.

Pizzonia, now at Jaguar, has completed thousands of test kilometres whereas Firman has only twice driven a Formula One car - 20 laps with McLaren in 1995 and slightly more with BAR last December.

The Briton, who also holds an Irish passport and has been racing for the last six years with a Japanese licence, is reigning Formula Nippon champion.

He won the 1996 British Formula Three title, ahead of several current Formula One drivers including Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, and beat the likes of da Matta and Italian Jarno Trulli to win the prestigious Macau Grand Prix.

History Books

"Maybe to some people he was forgotten but I don't believe he ever was," said Jordan. "Because you can't write off the history book. The history book says what he's done. These were the people he beat in Formula Three and they're all big names now in Formula One. Why can't he do it now again? I believe he can.

"Ralph is able to look after himself in a racing car. We've always had a really strong eye for him and then a number of things happened over Christmas that made it possible."

Jordan, despite saying previously that the second driver would be a commercial decision based on the amount of sponsorship he could bring in, insisted that Firman was not paying for his seat.

"I've been watching Ralph for quite some time," said the Irishman, whose team also announced that cigarette brand Benson and Hedges would be the principal sponsor for an eighth consecutive season.

Jordan lost title sponsor Deutsche Post, whose name was incorporated in the team unlike the lesser principal sponsor, at the end of last year and has not found another.

"He's not bringing any money and we are paying him," Jordan said of Firman, whose father founded leading racing car maker Van Diemen and was a former mechanic to Brazilian World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi at Lotus.

"We are paying Ralph as you would expect and there is no condition on Ralph bringing any money. It's a very clear employee-employer relationship."