“2004 is going to be Jordan’s fight-back,” said Eddie Jordan, Chief Executive of Jordan Grand Prix. “This is a resilient and tenacious team: we came into the sport in 1991 and against all odds finished fifth in the championship. Remember, we started modestly in both 1998 and 1999 - when we achieved our historic 1-2 and two other wins and were able to be third in the Championship. Last year, we overturned everybody’s expectations and won a race so my point is you never know what the season is going to hold. What I do know, however, is that we’ve worked so hard this winter, we are focussed, we have an exciting youthful driver line-up and we are determined to climb up the grid bit by bit until we are one day in a position to win races again. I would like to thank my staff for their hard work and commitment and I hope so much that our efforts are rewarded on the track.”
“I’m pleased that we’re in Australia for the first race because the country is a joy to visit and they do such a good job of organising the Grand Prix in Melbourne. I adore the atmosphere and having the racing track inside the city. It gets the adrenaline pumping like nothing else and that’s a great kick-start for the season.”
Spearheading Jordan’s 2004 driver squad is Nick Heidfeld who, with four years in F1 but at just 26 years old, brings the team an ideal combination of youth and experience. His testing work over the winter impressed engineers and the team awaits his Jordan race debut with great anticipation. His teammate Giorgio Pantano is an up-and-coming star from F3000, a determined and regular race winner ready for the challenge of F1. The 25 year old Italian was the last driver to join the 2004 grid and has had limited opportunities to test over the winter but is conscientious and eager to attack the task in hand. German 21 year old Timo Glock completes the line-up as the first official Jordan third driver for three years. The 21 year old German will drive the team’s third car in Friday free practice sessions, as permitted under the new regulations – a valuable opportunity to learn all the Grand Prix circuits and assist the team with collecting data for race preparation.
Jordan has revised the structure of its technical departments, with Chief Operating Officer Richard O’Driscoll overseeing a Technical Management Group which comprises John McQuilliam (Chief Designer), Nicolo Petrucci (Head of Aerodynamics), James Robinson (Head of Race and Test Engineering), David Williams (Operations Manager) and Mike Wroe (Head of Electronics). The technical management group takes responsibility for the design, production and racing of the Jordan Ford EJ14, which McQuilliam describes as “a lighter and more reliable car with improved suspension characteristics and weight distribution without compromising the aerodynamic optimisation achieved.”
At Grands Prix, engineering will be overseen by James Robinson who joined the team in December 2003, while Gerry Hughes is now Nick Heidfeld’s race engineer, assisted by Simon Cayzer and Giorgio Pantano’s car will be engineered by Dominic Harlow with assistance from Peter Bonnington. Oliver Knighton joined the team in February to engineer the third car, to be driven by Timo Glock on Fridays at Grand Prix.
Jordan Ford has put the EJ14 through its paces with 17 days of testing since the car’s first outing on 2 February, with test sessions in Jerez, Imola and Silverstone, completing over 4000km with all three of Jordan’s 2004 drivers Nick Heidfeld, Giorgio Pantano and Timo Glock contributing to the test programme.
James Robinson, Head of Race and Test Engineering, said, “Given such a late start, the three EJ14 chassis were produced on time, a task which demanded hard work and long hours from everyone involved and that’s a credit to the team’s commitment. In our few weeks of testing we got through much of our planned test programme and I’m pleased to say that the EJ14 has shown positive improvements over last year’s car. We have worked successfully with Bridgestone and Cosworth on the package and we have a good basis to start the season’s work at the first race in Australia in a few days time.”
NICK HEIDFELD on the Australian Grand Prix"I feel really at home with the Jordan Ford team and I’m happy to be racing with them this year. Our early tests with the EJ14 have been promising as it’s been quite a reliable car and I think with any luck we will just keep improving and improving it all year. It’s going to be a challenge for sure and we won’t make huge steps all at once. But we have a good base and little by little I’m confident we will move forward, score points and keep the competition behind us. I am fully motivated and determined to prove myself."
GIORGIO PANTANO on the Australian Grand Prix“I am so happy to be just days away from my first Grand Prix. It’s going to be quite exciting for me and I can’t wait to get out on the track – that’s when it will all seem real. I have had a limited opportunity to test because I joined the team quite late, but I have enjoyed working with the team so far and I will be giving my all as I really want to guarantee them good results. Jordan is a good environment for me, I can learn from them and from my teammate Nick. This team is one of the few that has won races and they want to fight back to that higher level. With the new car, we can work together to find how to get there. Racing in Grands Prix is my dream and while I don’t expect it to be easy, I will do my absolute best. I hope to finish every race and if there’s the opportunity to score a point or two, I will go for it."
CHASSIS DETAILSNick Heidfeld Chassis EJ14/03Giorgio Pantano Chassis EJ14/02T-car Chassis EJ14/01
