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Edmund Patrick Jordan was a businessman, broadcaster, racing driver, and motorsport executive from Ireland. In 1991, he started the Jordan Formula One team, and he was the team principal until 2005. Jordan competed in several racing classes from 1974 to 1979, including Formula Two, Formula Three, Formula Atlantic, and Irish Formula Ford. He founded Eddie Jordan Racing in 1979, and from 1985 to 1991, he participated in International Formula 3000.
Early Life and Education
Jordan was born to Eileen and Danny Jordan on March 30, 1948, at the Wentworth Nursing Home in Dublin. Growing up in Bray, he became very close to his Aunt Lilian and would often see her after the school week. Growing up, Jordan was known as “Flash,” as his last name rhymed with “Gordon.”
He attended the Synge Street Christian Brothers School for eleven years after starting his schooling at Saint Anne’s Pre-School in Milltown. Jordan was one of several pupils there who were frequently reprimanded with physical punishment for not studying hard. Nevertheless, Jordan acknowledged the excellent quality of the instruction.
He briefly considered pursuing a career as a priest when he was fifteen years old. He rejected that notion, though, and instead chose to enroll in a six-week accounting course at the College of Commerce in Dublin after feeling pressured by his family to become a dentist. He was able to obtain a job as a clerk at the Mullingar branch of the Bank of Ireland as a result.
Career
Jordan participated in the Irish Kart Championship in 1971 and took home the championship. He advanced to Formula Ford by 1974 and participated in the Irish Formula Ford Championship before making the switch to Formula Three in 1975.
However, a serious accident at Mallory Park in 1976 left him with a broken left leg, forcing him to miss the season. Because of his resolute mother, he wore a wig for the remainder of his life after losing his hair while recovering in the hospital. Other driver Gerhard Berger started to playfully tease this.
After he healed completely, Jordan moved to Formula Atlantic, where he won the 1978 Irish Formula Atlantic Championship. Together with Stefan Johansson, he participated in British Formula Three in 1979 as “Team Ireland.” Jordan also took part in a Formula Two race and did some testing for McLaren in that same year. Later, he competed in the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans with David Hobbs and Steve O’Rourke in a BMW M1.
Jordan established his first racing team, Eddie Jordan Racing, at the end of 1979 due to financial difficulties. In 1981 and 1982, the team had drivers including James Weaver and David Sears. Martin Brundle, who later finished second to Ayrton Senna in British Formula Three, was signed by Jordan in 1983. Eddie Jordan Racing and Johnny Herbert won the British Formula 3 Championship a few years later, in 1987.
In 2009, Eddie Jordan returned to F1 as a pundit for BBC Sport’s Grand Prix program, initially alongside Jake Humphrey and later Suzi Perry, as well as David Coulthard. After BBC ended its F1 coverage in 2015, Jordan moved to Channel 4 F1 in 2016. In 2023, he launched his own podcast, Formula For Success, with his co-presenter David Coulthard.
What was the Cause of Eddie Jordan’s Death?
Jordan disclosed in December 2024 that he had received a diagnosis of severe bladder and prostate cancer earlier that year. On March 20, 2025, at the age of 76, he died at home in Cape Town.
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