JORDAN EJ15 TOYOTA

   At the end of 2004, Jordan Grand Prix was left without an engine supply deal for the 2005 season, following the decision by Ford Motor Company to sell its long-time engine partner, Cosworth. However, thanks to Eddie Jordan’s strong connections, Toyota agreed at short notice to supply the Irish team with its V10 engines, in the RVX-05 specification, the same used by its own Formula 1 team, thus making Jordan the very first Toyota customer team in F1 history. Therefore, in 2005 Jordan competed in the championship with the new EJ15 Toyota, which retained the Jordan name even though the team was no longer owned by Eddie Jordan, but rather by Canadian billionaire of Ukrainian origin, Alex Shnaider.

JORDAN EJ15, Narain Karthikeyan
Hungaroring, Hungaria GP 2005

   Shnaider’s financial group, Midland Group, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, originally started as a steel producer before expanding into various investments, particularly in the steel and construction industries, mainly in Ukraine and Armenia. Midland’s interest in entering Formula 1 began in 2004, when their plans for a team to race in the 2006 season were confirmed. Although initially it was thought that a new team would be created, or perhaps Jaguar Racing purchased, the group reached an agreement to buy Eddie Jordan’s team before the start of the 2005 season, for the sum of $60 million. As a result, the team was legally considered a continuation of Jordan and not an entirely new entity, thus avoiding the $48 million entry fee for Formula 1. This also allowed Midland to receive TV rights payments, based on Jordan’s position in the 2004 Constructors’ Championship. Consequently, 2005 was lived as a transitional year for the now Russian-Canadian team, and the EJ15 became the fifteenth and final Jordan Formula 1 car.

JORDAN EJ15, Tiago Monteiro
Montecarlo, Monaco GP 2005

   Although the team’s base remained in Silverstone, UK, the official car presentation was held on February 25, 2005, in Moscow’s Red Square, to highlight the new ownership. The car was designed by John McQuilliam (Chief Designer) and Simon Phillips (Head of Aerodynamics), with James Kay serving as Technical Coordinator. Due to a lack of resources and the uncertainty following Midland’s acquisition, led by Mark Smith, the new EJ15 was little more than an evolution of the previous year’s car. The strict new aerodynamic regulations did not overly challenge its designers, who merely adapted the EJ14 to comply, while slightly modifying the chassis to integrate the new Toyota V10.

JORDAN EJ15, Tiago Monteiro
Nürburgring, European GP 2005

   The front wing was raised but retained a very similar shape to that of the EJ14, failing to exploit the regulatory loophole that allowed for spoon-shaped designs or additional profiles, a choice made by other competitors. The side endplates resembled those of the Ferrari F2004M. Similarly, the bargeboards behind the front wheels were unchanged, while the sidepods adopted rather original solutions compared to rival cars. The sidepod inlets featured a small lower structure and, on top, a small wing profile with a bulky lateral endplate, solutions aimed at regaining downforce by placing winglets wherever possible. The sidepods also carried a series of chimneys, winglets, and fins with very distinctive shapes. In particular, small triangular side fins were added to better direct airflow. The angle of the rear diffuser strakes was lowered to improve heat dissipation, at the cost of failing to taper the rear end of the sidepods, reinforcing the impression of a reworked EJ14.

JORDAN EJ15, Narain Karthikeyan
Hungaroring, Hungarian GP 2005

   Alongside the new ownership, the driver lineup also changed, with two rookies joining: Indian Narain Karthikeyan and Portuguese Tiago Monteiro, who raced the EJ15 on Sundays. They were joined by Dutchman Robert Doornbos, Frenchman Franck Montagny, Dane Nicolas Kiesa, and Japanese Sakon Yamamoto, who alternated in Friday practice sessions. The car’s performance was quite poor throughout the season, with its only redeeming quality being reliability, as the two EJ15s retired only six times across 19 Grands Prix. The team’s only points came from Monteiro’s third place and Karthikeyan’s fourth at the United States Grand Prix, a race that controversially saw only six cars start. From the Italian Grand Prix onwards, an upgraded version of the car, the EJ15B, was introduced, initially driven only by Monteiro, and later also by Karthikeyan. The main changes included the front wing, the airbox, the mirror profiles, and small auxiliary components such as chimneys and fins. With the EJ15B, Monteiro scored the team’s only point in a “regular” race, finishing eighth at the Belgian Grand Prix. The season ended with 12 points and ninth place in the Constructors’ standings, ahead only of Minardi, marking the end of Jordan Grand Prix’s story in Formula 1, one of the most iconic teams of the 1990s and early 2000s.