Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan has passed away at the age of 76 after a year-long battle with cancer.
Jordan revealed in December that he had experienced some “very dark days” after being diagnosed with “aggressive” bladder and prostate cancer last spring, which spread to his spine and pelvis.
The former F1 team owner and pundit, who ran the Jordan Grand Prix team from 1991 to 2005 and was a pundit on BBC’s coverage of Formula 1, spent the winter in Cape Town and insisted last month that his chemotherapy was in “good shape.”
But a statement from his family announced the Irishman had passed away earlier on Thursday. The statement 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 20 March 2025.”
Last month, speaking on talkSPORT about leading a consortium which had bought London Irish rugby club out of administration, Jordan became emotional as the conversation moved on to his round of chemotherapy.
“Sorry guys, just a small thing, thank you,” Jordan said. “I’ve just come out of getting chemotherapy and I’m not 100 per cent together here guys.
“I’m just not myself at this moment in time. I’m a little all over the place, so please forgive me. I just had a big deal of it [chemotherapy] yesterday so I’m sorry – I’m not quite myself.”
On his Formula For Success podcast with David Coulthard, where he revealed his 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.”
Edmund Patrick Jordan was born in Dublin on March 30, 1948 to parents’ Eileen and Paddy.
After briefly considering becoming a priest and resisting family pressure to enter dentistry, Jordan took up a six-week accountancy course at the College of Commerce in Dublin where he began work for the Bank of Ireland.
But in 1971, his attention turned to motor racing, and Jordan won the Irish Kart Championship before moving up to Formula Ford and then Formula Three. But after he failed to realise his dream as a driver he set up Eddie Jordan Racing in 1979 – entering teams in British F3 – where he hired Martin Brundle and Johnny Herbert – and later Formula 3000.
He then founded his own F1 team, Jordan Grand Prix, in 1991 and gave seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher his debut later that year. After one race, Schumacher moved to rivals Benetton, where he would go on to win his first two titles.
Jordan’s best result in F1 came in 1998 with a one-two finish with Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher at the Belgian Grand Prix, while a year later Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished third in the world championship – Jordan’s best individual driver finish.
Yet after losing an engine deal with Honda in 2002, the team struggled financially and Midland Group bought the team in 2005. Overall, Jordan GP entered 250 races in F1, winning four grands prix.
Jordan then became a popular figure for fans of F1 in the UK as he became a pundit on BBC’s coverage of the sport alongside presenter Jake Humphrey and former F1 driver David Coulthard.
Most recently, Jordan served as star designer Adrian Newey’s manager and negotiated his move from Red Bull to Aston Martin this year. He also led a consortium that bought London Irish rugby club earlier this year.
Jordan is survived by his wife Marie, who he married in 1979, and four children: Zoe, Miki, Zak and Kyle.
More to follow…
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