Eddie Jordan speaks out after historic F1 factory KNOCKED DOWN

Eddie Jordan

Jordan speaks out after historic F1 factory KNOCKED DOWN

The former Formula 1 team owner has reflected back on the years spent operating from the site

Dan Davis

Monday 14 August 2023 14:57

Eddie Jordan has fondly reflected on the years spent working at his former team's Formula 1 factory, which was demolished last month.

Aston Martin knocked down their old headquarters, which had been used by a number of constructors since 1991, and have now relocated to a new site.

Jordan commissioned the creation of the factory situated next to the iconic Silverstone circuit for his eponymous team's first steps into the sport.

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But the site was sold to the Midland Group in 2005, with the team racing as Midland, Spyker and Force India up until 2018, before Lawrence Stroll stepped in.

Later rebrands to Racing Point and Aston Martin followed, and the Stroll-led team then opted to move to their current 40-acre, £200m home this year.

Questioned about his factory being knocked down on the Formula For Success podcast with David Coulthard, Jordan cast his mind back with pride.

Jordan stepped away from his team in 2005 after their sale to the Midland Group

Humble beginnings

"A number of people have brought it up to me. Gigi, who was my head of press, she wrote a little note to me to say how disappointing it was," he said. "Mark Gallagher did a tweet, and Ian Phillips and other people said, 'This is a sad day'.

"What I would say about this team, is it was remarkable. We were in a tiny lock-up in Silverstone trying to run a Formula 1 team. This factory eventually got built."

Cars produced in the factory won five grands prix, with Jordan taking particular solace from the fact that Jordan were trailblazers in several departments.

"The memories I have of that team! When I tried to move my Formula 1 team, I could only barely fill half of it (the factory)," he added. "I utilised it as much as possible, so I hated growing into it because it took away certain revenues.

"One thing I will say about Jordan at the time, let not the size fool you. We had the highest technical ability. We never had drawing boards. We only had Hewlett-Packard supply us with the CAD systems.

"We brought a new era of technology into Formula 1 even though we were terribly, terribly small. It was the easiest and cheapest way to do it."