Jordan get to celebrate win in public at Imola

Worthy winner
By Huw Alban (15/04/03)
April 16 2003

According to the official F1 news source at Formula1.com, the stewards of the race meeting have agreed that Giancarlo Fisichella and McLaren's Kimi Raikonnen will get to swap their trophies on Thursday at 4pm.

In addition the Jordan and McLaren team bosses will also have to do an exchange.

According to Planet-F1.com, Ford are planning a complete podium procedure for the triumphant Fisichella and are building a set especially for the event.

Meanwhile the UK press have been busy getting their pound of flesh out of Eddie Jordan after the announcment last Friday that the Italian driver and the team had been award the win in Brazil.

"This win makes a huge difference," team boss Eddie Jordan told The Guardian. "I can't deny that things have been extremely tight for us this year but we just shut up and got on with the job."

"In a strange way, the extra coverage we've received because of this mix-up has helped. We've been giving support to the planned Shanghai circuit and I did a 15-minute TV interview for China Central Television immediately after the verdict. They're following our team this season and they've gone completely crazy."

The win is Jordan's first since the 1999 season, and Eddie hopes it is the start of an upward movement for the team. "There has, in many ways, been a rebirth of F1," he said.

"You can put that down to a combination of the weather and the new rules, but the fact is we've got young drivers coming through and lots of good stories. The satisfying thing for us is we brought Ford back to the top of the podium and we won it properly. This win has not been inherited."