Jordan may change role

Jordan, whose cash-strapped team has hit hard times in recent seasons as manufacturer backed programmes have increased the costs required to succeed, has not ruled out bringing in partners to boost the team's investment and its ability to compete.

The man behind the new Midland F1 project, Alex Shnaider, has been connected recently with a potential buy-out of the team, but it is thought unlikely that Jordan would want to relinquish control of the team completely.

"We could obviously be stronger and I would be happy to bring aboard new
partners even if it meant diluting my own equity stake in the company," Jordan told The Guardian newspaper, "if it meant we could get back to the situation where there was a possibility of winning races.

"The 2005 programme with us switching to Toyota engines is going ahead and we are not changing any people on the payroll. But my role may change to concentrate more on the commercial side to work on future investment in the team."

The owner of GP2 team Arden International, Christian Horner, was also linked with a buy-out of Jordan before accepting the role of team principal in the new Red Bull Racing set up.