NOTE: Eddie Jordan is representing the Jordan team rather than Ian Phillips and David Richards is not here through Force Majeur as he was in Switzerland, in Europe, for the Contracts Recognition Board hearing. Continuing the policy of a guest questioner, we have, this time, Matt Bishop of F1 Racing.
Q: A question to all of you. Here we are in China, an extraordinary facility. Can you just say something about the achievement and the importance and significance of the first Chinese Grand Prix?
Eddie Jordan: I came out here, I think, at Christmas time and was hugely impressed and similarly, a little bit like Bahrain, not really believing they could get it all completed. What we see here is absolutely amazing, fantastic, and they need all the congratulations that you can imagine because it's the detail, it's things like the teams' rooms and the facilities there and we don't have that anywhere else, and these people have set the benchmark. Also, I think China is particularly important. It is the emerging or emerged marketplace of the future, we have collected three sponsors from here, which is always a good sign - I might as well give them a plug: Citibank, B&Q and Beijing Chateau - and look, to get those people to come to someone like Jordan I am enormously pleased, so long may it continue here in China.
Tony Purnell: I have travelled around China a bit in the last few months and the way the country has modernised is incredible. It is a statement to the world that China is arriving and is one of the most modern nations on the planet. This is the way to do it, with Formula One, and I am looking forward to the weekend.
Flavio Briatore: I agree with Eddie and what everybody has said - the circuit is fantastic. This is an example, in Asia, we see Malaysia, we see Bahrain, we see Shanghai, it is much better than Europe. The circuits in Europe are now looking really, really bad. We should invite promoters from Europe, from Magny Cours and Silverstone, to come here.
EJ: He obviously hasn't said Imola and…
FB: Eddie, I said examples…
EJ: Okay, sorry.
Q: So, you are saying, Flavio, that the European facilities are not comparable and aren't satisfactory?
FB: No, honestly, you see enough in Bahrain, forget Malaysia, this is fantastic and, I mean, to beat this one is really, really difficult. For me, Bahrain was already impressive but this one is better. Really, the circuits in Europe, the facilities are very poor. We have six or seven circuits that are not for Formula One any more, there are no facilities at all, and we pay the same price anyway.
Q: Okay, well, the Chinese Grand Prix is the good news. I suppose the bad news was provided by Tony on Friday. Tony, could you please clarify Friday's announcement for us all? Ford has said that Jaguar racing will not be in Formula One next year but the team is for sale is that correct?
TP: That's correct, yes.
Q: Any interest yet? Buyers?
TP: There is masses of interest. Of course, Formula One generates a lot of people who want to take a chance and we are sifting through the realistic buyers from the, erm, chancers, if you will, and there is masses of interest and I think one has to be fairly confident that a solution will be found.
Q: You say there is a lot of interest and you are sifting through the bids, but can you answer this: Is HSBC and Ford, because I gather HSBC are handling the sale, are you only going to take bids from credible, blue-chip parties or would you be willing to sell to an ambitious entrepreneur for the right price?
TP: The fact is that we are only going to sell to a credible buyer and the idea of buying a Formula One team is a little bit of a misnomer, it is all about funding a Formula One team on an ongoing basis and we are only going to change the ownership to somebody who has the means to do a credible job for two or three years. There is no interest in taking a chance with someone who is hoping for a sponsor on a wing and a prayer and goes bust halfway through next year. That's not going to happen.
Q: And it is pretty common knowledge that Red Bull was a possibility earlier in the year and that possibly that didn't happen, maybe, because of the Ford Motor Company, but Ford Motor Company is not an issue any more.
TP: The whole process is a confidential one, so I am not going to talk about any individual bid, but rest assured, I have contacted every potential buyer that I know of and I have to say one of the big challenges at the moment is finding time to sleep because it is a global business so I am getting phonecalls night and day.
Q: And you said in the last few months you have travelled extensively in China. Presumably that was just tourism?
TP: (Laughs) No, I see what is going on in this country and one day I am sure they will be a player in Formula One and like Eddie I saw there was real potential here for sponsorship and maybe something to produce a compelling business case for Ford. Sadly that wasn't the way it ended up.
