Eddie Jordan insisted today that his team would not follow Prost onto the Formula One scrapheap. The Irishman spoke publicly today for the first time since slashing the workforce at his Silverstone-based outfit by around 40 people earlier this week to reduce costs. Jordan said it was painful to lose so many people but added that the team - which has failed to score a point in four races this year - were not in crisis. "It is a big sorrow for me not to see Alain Prost here," said Jordan of the four-time world drivers' champion whose team went bust earlier this year. "I do not want to follow in that path, but we are not in that position. I want to see Jordan break even this year."
Jordan, who entered F1 in 1991, added: "I believe I am a prudent businessman and I believe in making a profit. I want to stay in business and I will stay in business. It has been a tough couple of weeks. But what happened had to be done, it was the right time to do it. The market place in Formula One is not the same as when I first came into it. It is pretty painful when you are not scoring points but what I have just had to do was more painful. It was people I love and people who had brought success to this team. Each of the people I had to let go said `It's unfortunate it had to be me, but it had to be done'. But this is not a crisis. That would be an exaggeration. I believe that by the end of the year we will be showing the fighting spirit and Jordan will be back with a vengeance.
Jordan scotched speculation that Honda were set to pull-out of their engine supply deal for 2003. "I have a solid contract with them," added Jordan, whose team have slipped down the manufacturers' standings since finishing a career-best third in 1999 when they won two races through Heinz-Harald Frentzen. He continued: "People are saying they are going to do a runner, but I do not think they are. They are a fabulous partner."
But Jordan, whose team finished fifth last year, repeated his warning that F1 had to cut costs or risk seeing other teams follow Prost out of business. Jordan has backed the move to reduce engines from 2004 but also reckons huge savings would be made if testing was only allowed on the Friday of a grand prix weekend. "We are washing money down the toilet for no justifiable reason," added Jordan, in Barcelona today ahead of Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix. "We have to try and minimise costs. Whatever happens the top teams will stay top and the bottom teams will stay where they are. There will be a little shake-up but the situation of the past 50 years will not change. The top teams will not want to be racing on their own. They need the smaller teams."
Filed by Shane Murray
