F1 and FIA branded 'cowardly' in scathing attack from former team boss

FIA, Domenicali, Ben Sulayem, social — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

F1 branded 'cowardly' in scathing attack from former team boss

Eddie Jordan has critiqued modern-day F1

Jay Winter

Wednesday 20 November 2024 09:12

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Formula 1 has come under fire from former team boss Eddie Jordan, who has labelled the current generation of cars 'tractors' and criticised the sport for losing the visceral thrill it once offered.

In a scathing assessment, Jordan accused F1 and those involved in the running of the sport of being 'too cowardly' to recapture the excitement of its past, particularly the era of roaring V10 engines that captivated fans with their raw power and spine-tingling noise.

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F1 cars have steadily grown heavier over the past decade, a trend driven by advancements in safety technology such as the halo, and the integration of hybrid power units.

While these innovations have brought undeniable benefits, they have also significantly increased the minimum weight of the cars, a shift that Jordan believes has diminished the essence of the sport.

Eddie Jordan was the founder and owner of Jordan Grand Prix

Jordan calls for a return to F1 glory days

In 2012, the minimum weight of an F1 car stood at approximately 640kg.

By 2024, this figure has climbed to 798kg, and even with new regulations planned for 2026, the weight reduction will be modest, leaving cars far heavier than those of the early 2010s. For Jordan, this has sapped Formula 1 of the drama that once defined it.

"My God, when you were at a race, and let’s say you were at Silverstone, even if you were not inside the grid, and you were outside on the grandstand, and the race started, and those V10s - I can promise you, the ground shuddered," he told the Formula For Success podcast.

"It absolutely moved underneath you, such was the element of the power transmitted, to the noise, to the sound, to the surface, it just absolutely went through your body.

"It was sex on wheels. And that’s what motor racing was for me."

Eddie Irvine driving for Jordan GP in 1994

Jordan’s critique didn’t stop at the weight of the cars. He questioned the sport's ability to recapture the V10 spirit, blaming regulations and a lack of boldness for its current state.

"We’re too cowardly, what’s going on at the moment, whether it’s regulations or it’s this that and the other. Will we ever get back to the V10s? Probably not," he said.

"These cars… they’re tractors. They are tractors. They’re 1000 kilograms, massively overweight," he added.

"Shame on the regulations, shame on the organisers and shame on the people who have Formula 1 deeply buried in their soul because they’ve allowed this sport, in my opinion, to go to a step that may never come back from here and I absolutely hate them for it."