Iconic F1 team owner Eddie Jordan passes away aged 76

Eddie Jordan, the legendary F1 team owner, has passed away at the age of 76.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Jordan was synonymous with motorsport, having initially climbed the ladder as a budding racer before turning his attention to team ownership.

In a spell at the wheel across the 1970s and early 1980s, Jordan tasted success in the Irish Kart Championship and raced in categories such as Formula Ford, Formula 3 and Formula 2, as well as appearing at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.

By the end of the ‘70s, Jordan had set up his own, eponymous outfit on the single-seater scene, steadily rising the ranks until he secured an entry on the F1 grid for 1991.

Jordan famously gave Michael Schumacher his F1 debut during that ’91 campaign, with many other big-name drivers – including the likes of Rubens Barrichello, Martin Brundle, Damon Hill and Jean Alesi – racing for the squad over the years.

Hill scored Jordan’s first Grand Prix victory during a dramatic, rain-hit 1998 Belgian Grand Prix, with team mate Ralf Schumacher following him home to make it a 1-2 and complete a landmark result for the team.

Jordan won further races with Heinz-Harald Frentzen in 1999, when the driver and team emerged as surprise title contenders, before a fourth and final triumph – courtesy of Giancarlo Fisichella – in the chaotic 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Jordan sold his team in early 2005 and the now-famous name dropped off the grid the following season, but it would not be the last time F1 fans saw or heard from him.

In 2009, he became a pundit for the BBC’s F1 coverage, spending several years entertaining viewers and breaking stories such as Lewis Hamilton’s shock switch from McLaren to Mercedes at the end of 2012.

He later took on a similar F1 role at Channel 4, while appearing as a host on renowned British TV show Top Gear and running a popular podcast – Formula For Success – with former BBC colleague David Coulthard.

Most recently, he acted as Adrian Newey’s manager, facilitating the design guru’s early release from Red Bull to take up a new position at Aston Martin’s growing F1 team – the pair sharing an interest in sailing.

Jordan was also a music enthusiast, forming his own band and playing the drums and spoons, alongside other interests such as golf, cycling and the arts, and boasted a huge portfolio of business activities.

“We are deeply saddened to hear about the sudden loss of Eddie Jordan,” said F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali.

“With his inexhaustible energy he always knew how to make people smile, remaining genuine and brilliant at all times.

“Eddie has been a protagonist of an era of F1 and he will be deeply missed.

“In this moment of sorrow, my thoughts and those of the entire Formula 1 family are with his family and loved ones.”

A statement from Jordan's family said: "It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Eddie Jordan OBE the ex-Formula 1 team owner, TV pundit and entrepreneur.

"He passed away peacefully with family by his side in Cape Town in the early hours of 20th March 2025 at the age of 76, after battling with an aggressive form of prostate cancer for the past 12 months.

"He was working until the last, having communicated on St Patrick’s Day, about his ambitions for London Irish Rugby Football Club, of which he had recently become Patron."

His family added: “EJ brought an abundance of charisma, energy and Irish charm everywhere he went. We all have a huge hole missing without his presence. He will be missed by so many people, but he leaves us with tonnes of great memories to keep us smiling through our sorrow.”