Eddie Jordan obituary: The flamboyant F1 owner who gave Michael Schumacher his debut

Jordan, known in the sport simply as EJ, handed Schumacher his first ever drive at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix. The driver went on to win a record-breaking seven world championships – an accomplishment only matched by Lewis Hamilton in 2020.

Edmund Patrick Jordan was born in Dublin on March 30, 1948, to parents Eileen and Paddy. After briefly considering becoming a priest and resisting family pressure to enter dentistry, Jordan took up a six-week accountancy course at the College of Commerce in Dublin where he began work for the Bank of Ireland.

But in 1971, his attention turned to motor racing, and Jordan won the Irish Kart Championship before moving up to Formula Ford and then Formula Three. But after he failed to realise his dream as a driver he set up Eddie Jordan Racing in 1979 – entering teams in British F3 – where he hired Martin Brundle and Johnny Herbert – and later Formula 3000.

F1 was on Jordan’s radar and in 1991 he founded Jordan Grand Prix with his team soon earning a reputation for punching above his weight. He then made the signing of his life to lure a relative unknown in Schumacher to drive for him in Spa-Francorchamps.

Jordan’s regular driver, Bertrand Gachot was sidelined after he assaulted a London taxi driver. The paddock was stunned by Schumacher’s remarkable debut where he qualified seventh, beating his established team-mate Andrea de Cesaris. A star was born.

But Schumacher’s time at Jordan lasted just one event with Flavio Briatore controversially moving to sign the German for Benetton at the next round in Monza. Schumacher would win two titles at Benetton and a further five championships for Ferrari.

However, undeterred by his star loss, Jordan became a force to be recognised in F1 without ever winning the top prize. Hill, a landmark signing for Jordan having arrived just two years after winning the world championship, led home Michael Schumacher’s brother Ralf, in a superb one-two finish for the team at a rain-hit Spa-Francorchamps race – one Michael ironically was leading comfortably before he crashed into the back of David Coulthard.

It marked the highlight of Jordan’s career before his team eventually ran out of cash, selling up to Midland in 2005.

Jordan returned to the paddock four years later as part of BBC’s return to the sport in 2009. He would also go on to work as a pundit for Channel 4 and briefly as a presenter of Top Gear. He would also combine his love of music with motor racing, playing the drums in his band, Eddie and the Robbers, at numerous British Grands Prix.

In what would prove to be one of his final acts, Jordan, in his role as Adrian Newey’s manager, helped seal the design guru’s staggering £20m-a-season deal from Red Bull to Aston Martin last year, making him one of the best-paid figures in British sport. Jordan also led a consortium that bought London Irish earlier this year.

He is survived by his wife, Marie, and four children.