Eddie Irvine eyes up Jordan

swerve home
By Phil
June 6 2002

Eddie Irvine has been linked with a return to his first Formula 1 team Jordan. Irvine is in the last year of his deal with the Jaguar, but Jaguar have failed to provide Irvine with a competitive car.

It’s likely that the highly-rated Renault test driver Fernando Alonso will be brought in to replace either Irvine or Pedro De la Rosa at Jaguar at the end of this year.

Irvine who earns £6m per year with Jaguar is unlikely to be re-signed unless he takes a paycut.  Jaguar may then release the Ulsterman from their employ.  Benson and Hedges are keen to have a British driver (and have been since before Damon Hill drove for Jordan).  They are rumoured to have prefered Justin Wilson over Takuma Sato for this season and for this reason reduced their sponsorship of the team.

B&H could up their budget if Jordan could sign a British driver and Eddie Irvine would seem to be the logical choice.  Eddie Jordan has the final say on drivers but if the sponsors get their way, Irvine could be perfect.

The Sun Newspaper said today  "He is high-profile and they would be delighted if he finished where he started – with Jordan. If they were to offer to pay his wages that could swing things."

Irvine left Jordan in '95, one season before B&H came onboard as a sponsor