JORDAN EJ11 Honda

   Finally 2001, this is probably what Eddie Jordan is thinking before the start of the second season of the new millennium. In fact, from 2001 onward, the Northern Irish team once again benefits from the official supply of one of the major engine manufacturers that have shaped Formula 1 in recent years: Honda. Having ended its long partnership with Mugen-Honda, still an affiliate of the Japanese parent company, the Jordan Grand Prix team in 2001 fits the new Honda RA001E, a 82° V10 capable of developing 800 hp at 17,000 rpm. However, the Japanese engine is not exclusive to Jordan, as it is shared with the BAR team, a move perhaps deliberately made by the Rising Sun manufacturer to put two of the most highly regarded teams, on paper, into competition, with the goal of receiving feedback for faster development of its V10.

JORDAN EJ11, Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Catalunya-Barcelona, Spanish GP 2001

   After the disappointments of 2000 with the EJ10, the team expects a lot from the new Jordan EJ11, a single-seater intended to bring the squad back to the top to fight against the more prestigious Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes, as it did in 1999. The new car differs significantly from the previous EJ10, despite the project being launched under the supervision of Mike Gascoyne before his transfer to Benetton-Renault. In 2001, the role of Technical Director is taken by Eghbal Hamidy, an Iranian engineer graduated from Imperial College London, with a winning past in Formula 1 at Williams, where he secured four Constructors’ Championships working alongside Adrian Newey. Tim Holloway remains as Chief Engineer, while Mark Smith serves as Chief Designer, although mid-season he will also leave the team for Benetton-Renault, following Gascoyne. Bob Bell, after years at McLaren, works for the fourth consecutive year in Jordan’s team as Director of Technologies. The increasingly important aerodynamics department remains under the direction of John Iley, and it is thanks to his input that the new EJ11 radically changes shape compared to the recent past.

JORDAN EJ11, Jarno Trulli
Melbourne, Australian GP 2001  

   The nose is significantly raised until it is almost parallel to the ground at the top, to better channel airflow under the front section of the chassis and thus seek greater efficiency. The front wing is supported by two sharply inclined pylons, forming an inverted V. The sidepods have a softer shape with much smaller radiator cooling inlets than the EJ10. The engine air intake retains its triangular shape, while the engine cover is more tapered and straight-lined. Starting from the cockpit sides, the new EJ11 is a proliferation of fins and winglets designed to redirect airflow toward the rear of the car, an area featuring the now-unmistakable upward-facing exhausts. At the Monaco Grand Prix, in an attempt to increase downforce, Iley decides to add an appendage in the front section of the cockpit, a sort of small wing supported by a vertical pylon, reminiscent of the large central mirror on the Eifelland of the 1970s. Unsurprisingly, the stewards banned the solution after Thursday practice, deeming it dangerous. In addition to the aforementioned “official” Honda engine, the Eddie Jordan cars also benefit this season from a new seven-speed gearbox, finally replacing the old six-speed unit used until the end of 2000.

JORDAN EJ11, Jarno Trulli
Magny-Cours, French GP 2001

  Pre-season testing brings great optimism within Jordan, with the two EJ11s easily achieving competitive lap times, allowing the two confirmed race drivers from the previous year, German Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Italian Jarno Trulli, to consistently post excellent times. Before the season starts, the German driver is so confident that he publicly declares he is certain he can fight for the title. Indeed, in the first races of the season, the EJ11 performs well, allowing both drivers to achieve good qualifying results and regularly battle for the top positions, although final race results in the early stages amount to just one fifth and one fourth place for Frentzen in the first two races, followed by two fifths and one fourth for Trulli in the next three. From the Austrian Grand Prix, the sixth round, things worsen considerably, and a series of retirements, mainly due to the car’s electronics, lead to a breakdown in relations between the British team and Frentzen. From the German Grand Prix onward, he is replaced by Brazilian Ricardo Zonta, and from the following race until the end of the season, by veteran Jean Alesi. In the final part of the championship, the car regains a bit of competitiveness, achieving another fourth place with Trulli at Indianapolis and a sixth place in Belgium with Alesi, giving the Frenchman the last world championship point of his long career.

JORDAN EJ11, Jean Alesi
Suzuka, Japanese GP 2001

   Regarding the car’s livery, there are no major changes compared to 2000, although after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the two EJ11s raced at Monza and Indianapolis with an American flag on the engine cover. Alesi’s car also carried the number “200” on the sidepods, marking his 200th Grand Prix at the U.S. race. Ironically, the French driver was involved in a terrible crash in the following race, the last of his long Formula 1 career, when, on lap nine at Suzuka’s Dunlop Curve, he violently rear-ended Raikkonen’s Sauber, which had spun in front of him due to a broken left rear suspension. Alesi could not avoid the Finn’s car, striking it at the rear and sending it crashing into the run-off area amid a sea of debris scattered on the track. Fortunately, both drivers emerged unscathed, although Alesi would undoubtedly have preferred to end his career in a very different manner. At the end of the season, the Jordan team scored 19 points, just 2 more than the previous year, finishing fifth in the Constructors’ Championship, clearly far below the expectations set before the season began.