Eddie Jordan once claimed he was the first person to ‘sell’ an F1 driver after making £5m in Ferrari deal

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Eddie Jordan was the master of making a deal. For years his team struggled to survive in Formula 1 but made a great effort of it.

For 15 seasons between 1991 and 2005, Jordan Grand Prix were one of the last true independently run teams left on the grid.

They claimed four victories and nearly challenged for a drivers’ championship in 1999. Nowadays, they are known as Aston Martin.

Team owner and boss Jordan was a strong character within the paddock. Ron Dennis famously called him a ‘village idiot’ back in 2015.

One of Jordan’s top 10 moments was discovering Michael Schumacher, who went on to become one of the greatest drivers of all time.

READ MORE: What Eddie Jordan said about Michael Schumacher before handing him his Formula 1 debut in 1991

Eddie Jordan claimed he was the first person to ‘sell’ an F1 driver after Ferrari deal

After two full seasons with Jordan in 1994 and 1995, Eddie Irvine had his contract bought out by Ferrari, which Jordan made £5 million from himself.

He told the Irish Independent that he was the first person to sell a driver and make a handsome profit from it back in 2018.

“I think, to date, I’m the only one to have bought and sold drivers,” he claimed.

“So, [Eddie] Irvine would come to me for free and I’d give him a three-year contract, and build him up, and build him up, and then sell him to Ferrari. He’d get 13 or 14 million and Ferrari would pay me five.”

Irvine went on to enjoy some success with Ferrari, finishing just second in the 1999 championship race, just two points shy of a maiden title.

He left them at the end of that season and joined Jaguar, who he had three mediocre seasons with before leaving the sport for good at the end of 2002.

READ MORE: Damon Hill explains why he’ll ‘never’ forget his first Eddie Jordan encounter, ‘opportunity of a lifetime’

Who did Eddie Jordan replace Eddie Irvine with for the 1996 Formula 1 season?

Ahead of the 1996 season, Jordan didn’t suffer too much from losing their young star to Ferrari. They signed veteran driver Martin Brundle.

It would prove to be his last season in the sport, but he performed well and even finished fifth in his last race at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Sadly, he was unable to find a seat for the 1996 season. He was offered a return with Sauber for 1997, but decided against it and stuck to commentary.

Today, he’s a renowned pundit and commentator for Sky Sports. It’s often forgotten that he is one of the best drivers ever to have failed to win a Grand Prix.