Jordan's long awaited search for a second driver appears to have come to an end - but the new man is far from a household name. Eddie Irvine, Jos Verstappen and Felipe Massa had all been linked to the Irish team in recent weeks, but the man who'll don the yellow overalls this season will be Ralph Firman, a 27 year-old formula one rookie from Norwich.
Firman, who becomes the fourth Briton on the Formula One grid alongside David Coulthard, Jenson Button and rookie Justin Wilson, had given up hope of the drive last week. He flew back to Japan, where he is reigning Formula Nippon champion, last week on the assumption Massa would be given the drive.
But the 27-year-old, who has tested a Formula One car for British American Racing, returned to Britain on Saturday ahead of the excepted announcement. Firman made his name in the British Formula Three Championship, finishing runner-up in 1995 before taking the title - and the prestigious Macau Grand Prix crown - the following year.
However, his route to Formula One appeared blocked and he headed to Japan where he has spent six seasons in Formula Nippon. He comes from a racing family, with his father, also named Ralph, one of the founders of chassis builders Van Diemen and a former Lotus mechanic.
Filed by Ciaran Cronin
