'He lived life to the full': Taoiseach pays tribute to Eddie Jordan following his death
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has paid tribute to former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan following his death.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has paid tribute to former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan following his death.
Mr Martin said this morning that he was "greatly saddened" by the news.
"Eddie lived life to the full, facing his final days with the same courage and tenacity he displayed throughout his many years as an entrepreneur, Formula One pioneer, and TV pundit.
"There were few like him. My deepest sympathies go to all his family and friends," he added.
Mr Jordan passed away at the age of 76.
The Dublin native revealed in December he was suffering with bladder and prostate cancer which had spread to his spine and pelvis.
A statement from his family released to the PA news agency read: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Eddie Jordan OBE, the ex-Formula 1 team owner, TV pundit and entrepreneur.
“He passed away peacefully with family by his side in Cape Town in the early hours of 20th March 2025 at the age of 76, after battling with an aggressive form of prostate cancer for the past 12 months.
“We all have a huge hole missing without his presence.
“He will be missed by so many people, but he leaves us with tonnes of great memories to keep us smiling through our sorrow.”
We are deeply saddened to hear about the sudden loss of Eddie Jordan.
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 20, 2025
With his inexhaustible energy he always knew how to make people smile, remaining genuine and brilliant at all times.
Eddie has been a protagonist of an era of F1 and he will be deeply missed.
In this moment… pic.twitter.com/ggf1ww9kmq
Mr Jordan’s team – which he named after himself – entered 250 races between 1991 and 2005.
They won four times with Damon Hill leading home Mr Jordan’s best-ever result – a one-two finish at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix.
Mr Jordan also handed Michael Schumacher his F1 debut at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, with the German going on to win a record-breaking seven world championships – an accomplishment only matched by Lewis Hamilton in 2020.
F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali said ahead of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai: “We are deeply saddened to hear about the sudden loss of Eddie Jordan.
“Eddie has been a protagonist of an era of F1 and he will be deeply missed. In this moment of sorrow, my thoughts and those of the entire Formula One family are with his family and loved ones.”
Mr Jordan sold his F1 team in 2005, and returned to the paddock four years later as part of BBC’s coverage.
He went on to work as a pundit for Channel 4 and briefly as a presenter of .
Presenter Jake Humphrey, who worked alongside Mr Jordan at the BBC, tweeted: “Utterly devastated. EJ has left us. Formula One won’t see the likes of Eddie ever again where a guy with a love for racing can hustle his way into the sport and end up winning races.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “Very sorry to hear Eddie Jordan has sadly passed. Eddie was a hugely colourful character who I first met in 1991 as a young driver at his then new factory after his first year in Formula One.
“His advice, ‘get a good sponsor… welcome to the Piranha Club!’
“I was fortunate to overlap with him when I came into Formula One. He was in the twilight of his F1 career race wise (indeed he even tried to sell me his team!) but went into other activities where he was always full of energy and fun to work with.
“Formula One has lost a legend and we will miss his wit and his Irish charm.”
On his podcast with former F1 driver, David Coulthard, where he revealed his cancer diagnosis in December, Jordan said: “This is a little message to everybody listening to this, don’t waste or put it off.
“Go and get tested, because in life you have got chances. Go and do it. Don’t be stupid. Don’t be shy. Look after your body, guys.”
Earlier this year, Mr Jordan led a consortium which bought London Irish.
He also recently helped seal F1 design guru Adrian Newey’s £20million-a-season deal from Red Bull to Aston Martin.
Aston Martin said in a statement: “We’re deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Eddie Jordan. His impact will be felt across the motorsport community for generations to come.”
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