The Jordan 196, brought to the track in 1996 by the young Irish team led by Eddie Jordan, turned out to be a poorly conceived single-seater with inconsistent performance, achieving some continuity in results only from mid-season onwards, coinciding with the departure of then team manager John Walton, who left for Arrows. To address the shortcomings evident in the previous season and continue the team's growth and consolidation path already underway in recent years, new equipment was acquired, and, above all, the IT systems were updated, an increasingly essential element in mid-1990s Formula 1, thanks to the budget provided by tobacco sponsor Benson & Hedges, a cigarette brand of the Gallaher Group owned by British American Tobacco. Team owner Eddie Jordan also decided to strengthen and expand his team, aided by Total and Peugeot, who, in addition to being technical partners, contributed financially to the team's management, which in 1997 was renamed B&H Total Jordan Peugeot.
 |
| JORDAN 197, Giancarlo Fisichella Spa-Francorchamps, Belgian GP 1997 |
New engineers were hired, growing from nine in 1996 to twenty in 1997, to work on the new 197 project under the direction of technical director Gary Anderson, the historic designer of the Irish team and with Jordan since its Formula 1 debut in 1991. Paul Crooks was hired as chief engineer, a competent designer with previous F1 experience at Toleman and Benetton working alongside Rory Byrne, then at Ligier with Frank Dernie, and later at Simtek, where he designed the only two cars of the ill-fated British team before returning to Ligier and then joining Jordan. Mark Smith was confirmed as head of chassis design, and another important addition was the young Seamus Mullarkey, taking the role of head of aerodynamics. The new 197 was built around a new carbon fiber honeycomb structure chassis with a narrower and higher nose compared to the 196. The car's sidepods were also completely redesigned, particularly the air intakes. The unusual 196 configuration with two separate, thin, slot-shaped air intakes, one beside the cockpit and the other on the outer part of the sidepods, was replaced with a more conventional layout featuring a single, large intake starting from the cockpit sides.
 |
| JORDAN 197, Ralf Schumacher Buenos Aires, Argentinian GP 1997 |
The sidepods were now higher and set further back, abandoning the violin-case shape of Anderson’s previous designs in favor of a more squared-off look, especially toward the rear, following the style of Ferrari and Williams. The increased rear volume was also due to the new engine, still a 3-liter Peugeot V10 but now upgraded to the A14 version, boasting a power boost reaching nearly 750 hp at 15,500 rpm, on par with Ferrari and Renault V10s, and requiring a larger exhaust and cooling system. To satisfy the oxygen needs of the French V10, the air intake above the driver’s head was completely redesigned and detached from the engine cover, now shaped in a flattened oval style reminiscent of the 1990 Williams FW13. Meanwhile, the engine cover retained the sleek and elegant lines already seen on the 196. The 197 abandoned the golden livery of 1996 in favor of a new yellow-and-black color scheme, which would go on to characterize all future Jordan cars. A particularly distinctive feature of the new livery appeared on the sides of the nose, where a snake’s head was painted, and the front wing supports were styled to resemble the snake’s fangs.
 |
| JORDAN 197, Giancarlo Fisichella Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1997 |
In line with this theme, at Grand Prix events in countries that banned tobacco advertising, the Benson & Hedges logos were replaced with “Bitten & Hisses”, a snake-related pun, or with “Ssssschuey” and “Fisssssssi,” referencing the names of the two new drivers. Indeed, confirming his talent as a spotter of rising stars, Eddie Jordan decided to replace the reliable Brazilian Rubens Barrichello and veteran British driver Martin Brundle with two young and upcoming talents: German rookie Ralf Schumacher, younger brother of two-time world champion Michael, and Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, who had already made his F1 debut with Minardi in 1996. However, the hunger to prove themselves shown by the two young drivers turned out to be a double-edged sword for Eddie Jordan, who often had to calm tensions within the duo, which frequently clashed, as seen in Argentina and at the Nürburgring, where Ralf’s reckless driving took out Fisichella's twin car following two separate contacts.
 |
| JORDAN 197, Giancarlo Fisichella Hockenheimring, German GP 1997 |
Reliable and efficient, the 197 allowed Jordan to close in on the top four teams of 1997, Williams, Ferrari, Benetton, and McLaren, with the two young drivers delivering good results. Schumacher secured third place in Argentina but didn’t score again until the second half of the season, when he collected five points finishes. Fisichella, on the other hand, finished third in France and second in Belgium, also running an excellent race at Hockenheim, where he qualified second and led for several laps before retiring due to a tire blowout. By season’s end, the Jordan team had scored 33 points, the best result in its still-short history, securing fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Fisichella finished eighth overall with 20 points, while Schumacher placed eleventh with 13. Despite these strong results, towards the end of the season, Eddie Jordan chose to part ways with Peugeot and form a new partnership with Mugen-Honda, marking the beginning of the most successful period in the Irish team’s history, all thanks to a solid season and a group of skilled engineers capable of developing the excellent Jordan 197.
Comments
Post a Comment