F1 legend claims big Schumacher switch COST him world title

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F1 legend claims big Schumacher switch COST him world title

Eddie Jordan believes that Ralf Schumacher could have won 1999 title with his team

Shay Rogers

Monday 5 February 2024 16:57 Updated: 17:59

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Eddie Jordan believes that Ralf Schumacher could have won the 1999 Formula 1 world championship if he had stayed with his team.

The German made a switch to drive for Williams in the 1999 season after his brother Michael famously bought out the remainder of his Jordan contract for a reported £2 million.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen did an effective swap with Schumacher between the teams, and won two races with Jordan in 1999, proving that the car did have good pace that season.

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Ralf Schumacher on the other hand, went on to finish three places behind Frentzen in the 1999 drivers’ standings with sixth and still had a relatively successful career with Williams.

Bad luck plagued some of his stint with the team, and a title charge may have been possible in 2003 if he had been able to avoid a few of his on-track clashes.

Ralf Schumacher has transitioned to journalism after bringing his racing career to a close

Jordan: You could’ve won the world championship

Speaking on his Formula For Success podcast, Jordan remarked that Schumacher made a mistake by leaving his team prematurely.

“I was never sure how close you [Ralf] were with Michael. But when he came to me at Spa and he says ‘Ralf will never drive for you again,’ and I remember saying to him.

“I kind of took out my palm [and said] ‘look, there’s a contract, there’s a buyout clause in the contract. Pay the money, off he goes. No problem.’ He was quiet and he went.

“Eventually, I believe it was a mistake, because the 1999 car was a world championship winner – you [Ralf], could've won the world championship in that car."

A further three years followed with Toyota after Schumacher left Williams at the end of 2004, before he decided to pull the curtain on his Formula 1 career in 2007, switching to DTM thereafter.

The highest he managed to finish in a championship would be fourth in both 2001 and 2002, although who knows what would have happened if he stayed with Jordan.

Formula 1 Williams Michael Schumacher Ralf Schumacher Eddie Jordan Heinz-Harald Frentzen