15/07/2010
NEWS STORY
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Team boss turned TV pundit Eddie Jordan continues to stick the boot into Michael Schumacher, claiming that his return to F1 was a "huge error".
"Michael's return was an excellent thing for the discipline," he told Sport Bild, "but for him personally, it's a huge error.
"To make a comeback at 41 years of age, to pitch yourself against young men 20 years younger than you, is simply against the laws of physics and medicine," he added.
Fact is, Schumacher has struggled this season, as has his teammate, with a car that is widely seen as a bit of a dog. Furthermore, in the opinion of this website, the German was always on a hiding to nothing, doomed if he returned a winner, doomed if he returned a loser.
There are some who remain convinced that Brackley is cursed and has been ever since Craig Pollock and British American Racing entered the sport in 1999 determined to continue a "tradition of excellence".
For some reason, ever since the BAR-Supertec appeared in 1999, Brackley cars have struggled, especially in terms of Bridgestone rubber. While some will point to Brawn's success in 2009, let's not forget that once rival teams were on a slightly more level playing field it was the tyres that once again worked against the white cars from Brackley.
This year, Mercedes is clearly struggling and it's the same old problem, the team's failure to work with its Bridgestone boots, particularly at the rear.
If there is frustration at Brackley imagine what it's like in Stuttgart where Mercedes bosses are wondering what on earth they've got themselves into, what on earth happened to the winning team they bought at a far from knock-down price.
What money Stuttgart is willing to spend - and it is very little, surprising really when one considers the small fortunes made by the previous 'owners' - is watched very, very carefully, with the bean counters wanting every last nut and bolt accounted for before it is purchased. What hope serious development under those conditions?
In Germany, many were against the purchase of Brawn, especially the unions, and therefore the German manufacturer is under intense scrutiny. Nonetheless, our sources claim that, in the very best Japanese tradition, Mercedes does not want to lose face, and will therefore stick it out for 2011 in the hope that Pirelli rubber will bring a change in fortune... however, some fear that the curse of Brackley remains.
Schumacher too, despite the claims of some, will stick with it, at least for another year, not so much about saving face but because the German still has worthwhile input to provide, whatever his numerous critics might say.
However, while the anti-Schumacher bias of some might be understandable - especially in terms of the British media - Eddie Jordan's fortnightly bashing of the German is becoming tedious.
As Schumacher crosses the line in ninth, having struggled to hold off a Toro Rosso or Force India, the Irishman appears delighted, desperate to tell the viewers; "I told you so".
Such is his barely disguised glee, at times one is reminded of James Hunt, who, during his days as co-commentator alongside Murray Walker, never missed an opportunity to stick it to Riccardo Patrese, the Englishman still blaming the Italian for the death of Ronnie Peterson at Monza in 1978 even though he had been totally exonerated.
Ironically, it was Jordan who brought Schumacher into F1 in 1991 - albeit thanks to great wads of Mercedes dosh - though he was to lose the German to Benetton after just one race.
This is the same Eddie Jordan who - against all advice - pursued a totally unwinnable £150m legal case against Vodafone in 2003, claiming that the company had reneged on a £100m sponsorship agreement.
The lawsuit, which appeared to hinge on a telephone conversation in which Vodafone's global branding director was alleged to have told the team "You've got the deal", and the team's director of business affairs Ian Phillips' written note of said conversation - was eventually abandoned, with Jordan attempting to have the findings made privately.
However, as Jordan did not lodge an appeal, Mr Justice Langley said he would make his ruling public, the judge subsequently claiming that there were "inaccuracies" in documentation produced by the Irishman who he described as "wholly unsatisfactory" as a witness and whose case was "contrived and unsustainable".
And let us not forget the shock sacking of Heinz-Harald Frentzen on the eve of his home Grand Prix in 2001 - what on earth was that about? - and his failure to support Paul Stoddart in Canada 2003 when the Australian went head-to-head with Ron Dennis. Jordan, an architect of the F1 fighting fund - a money pot aimed at helping the struggling smaller teams - opting to change sides and stick with the big boys, thereby leaving Stoddart high and dry.
"Someone said to me after the press conference; 'what did you think of Eddie?' and I replied 'well he showed his true colours, and appropriately it's yellow'," Stoddart told Pitpass editor Chris Balfe weeks later, "everyone laughed.
"JJ - Judas Jordan," he continued. "Well, I've got a lot of time for Eddie and I don't put him in the same category as Frank and Ron. When I went into that press conference despite all the hours and hours of phone calls and meetings, despite all the talk of' 'I'm right behind you Paul', despite all that rhetoric I had a funny feeling that JJ was going to turn. If anyone looks at the tapes, when he started to, quite wrongly, criticise Bob Constanduros, I had a smile on my face because I thought "here we go", this is the guy that was primed up, was more boisterous about the fighting fund than I was, and he has been completely and utterly 'nobbled' at the previous team owners meeting that made them all late for the press conference. It was comical, there is no other word for it, it was comical.
"Eddie is Eddie," Stoddart smiled, "he's the Arthur Daley of F1, you've got to love him but you'd never trust him. That's how it is, and that's how it's always been."
As Jordan continues to take every opportunity to snipe at Schumacher, some wonder whether it all goes back to 1991, the Irishman still seething, feeling that he lost out financially when the German moved to Benetton.
Thing is, from everything we have heard, losing Schumacher to Benetton was down to sloppy work on EJ's part. The Irishman, having left all the legal details to others instead of taking responsibility himself, failed to sign a proper deal with the German and instead all he had was a letter of intent… and we all know what they're worth.
Consequently, Jordan missed out on one of his biggest pay days as Jochen Neerspasch, Tom Walkinshaw and Willi Weber went about wresting Schumacher away from him. However, it wasn't all bad, we understand that Roberto Moreno was given a million dollars to give up his (Benetton) drive to the upcoming German youngster… and guess who the Brazilian was driving for a couple of weeks later.
Whatever, the answer, the fact is that EJ never misses an opportunity and it is beginning to come across as though there's more to it than Schumacher's failure to outshine his teammate in a car which could be overhauled by Renault, maybe even Force India, if Mercedes doesn't make serious progress over the remaining nine races. And it wont.
In his desire to be controversial, Jordan never misses an opportunity, and appears to relish putting team bosses on the spot and making them squirm, even if its done with a knowing wink and a touch of the Blarney. In the wake of last week's race Jordan claimed that Christian Horner's congratulatory message to Mark Webber as he crossed the finish line was not genuine, adding that this was a situation that "shouldn't have happened".
It all very well talking about bias and how drivers are treated when he himself has history, after all, let's not forget the order given to Ralf Schumacher in the final laps of the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix at a time when the German youngster was reeling in his teammate Damon Hill.
While it might be difficult to be impartial as a pundit, especially when broadcasting to an English speaking audience, we should at least be able to expect some honest objectivity and no agendas.