Eddie Jordan admits he loved ‘outstanding’ driver, but he couldn’t turn down £18m to keep him

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Eddie Jordan has shared how much he loved working with Heinz-Harald Frentzen in Formula 1, but couldn’t afford to keep him when a better offer arrived.

Jordan was synonymous with giving young drivers such as Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello their starts in F1 but was also well known for striking some fantastic deals.

Speaking on the Formula For Success Podcast, Jordan revealed the reason why he had to let Frentzen go after three fantastic campaigns with the team.

Eddie Jordan shares why he let Heinz-Harald Frentzen go

Jordan entered Formula 1 at a time when pre-qualifying was in place and new teams rarely survived more than a couple of seasons.

However, Jordan were the exception to the rule, picking up 13 points and finishing 5^th in the Constructors’ Championship.

They used five drivers that season as Eddie Jordan tried to find a way to keep the team afloat, although giving Schumacher his debut and immediately selling him to Benetton certainly helped.

That conveyor belt of young drivers never really stopped and the lack of rookies on the grid in 2024 is something that has really upset him.

However, Jordan’s strongest driver pairing was Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Damon Hill.

The pair finished third in the Constructors’ Championship in 1999 before Hill retired from F1.

Unfortunately, the German was out of the team two years later as well, moving on to Arrows before retiring in 2003 after a final campaign with Sauber.

Jordan didn’t want to let him go but had no choice financially given the circumstances.

Frentzen one of F1’s most underrated drivers

Jordan has previously spoken about Heinz-Harald Frentzen being the most underrated driver in F1 history.

Despite his praise, he did eventually move on from his team and speaking about the circumstances surrounding his exit, he said: “They wanted rid of [Heinz-Harald] Frentzen out of my team even though he was a multiple Grand Prix winner with us and he was brilliant.

“And yet, the powers that Honda put on me was that they wanted [Takuma] Sato in the car because they needed to have a Japanese driver.

“It was their prerogative and I understood it and I took a decision with the money that the engine was going to cost was about £18m and I’m saying to myself, is this Frentzen worth £18m and the answer clearly was no.

“So, it was game over. Sato came to the team, Frentzen said goodbye. But he was an outstanding driver.

“Heinz-Harald Frentzen, we must never forget him, we don’t talk enough about him on this program, but what a talent he was.”

Heinz-Harald Frentzen two of his three Formula 1 races with Jordan and regularly featured on the podium in 1999 and 2000.

Takuma Sato was never as successful and Jordan has previously alluded to the fact that he constantly crashed the car.

But he brought money and a Honda-powered engine and that was vital to Jordan’s survival.

They slowly drifted down the grid until they were sold to Midland in 2006 and after numerous name changes, they still exist on the grid as Aston Martin.