Irvine.....what do you think ?

[Sato san]

I had a chat with Mr V today about this........so here is my point of view on the "does Irvine deserve the Jordan drive debate"

Ive always been a big fan of Eddie ...and i know he has got the talent to give the Jordan Team the points finishes next year that it needs (as long as they give him a half decent car) .

BUT.....what if he gets the Jordan drive and they produce a bad car again .
What is better for the team ? .....
a driver like Irvine with vast testing abilty and brilliant understanding of car set up ( but possibly bad motivation ).....

or

a young driver like Davidson who has less experience but maximum motivation and effort for the team ?.......

Also , although i too would like to see Irvine finish his career off at the team that he started it with , i would hate to see a driver of Irvine's calibre and personality stay in F1 when his motivation is past his sell by date . The last couple of years he's had at Jaguar have only made my fears worse ......But deep down i would like to see him stick one on them all in his last season and show them all stuff like we see at Suzuka 93.

But the thing is , this question of his motivation cant really be fully answered until we see which way it pans out next year if he gets the drive ..

What do you lot think about it ......has Eddie got the motivation to give 100% commitment for 1 more year in Formula 1 ?.......because anything less than that just isnt enough at this level .

[JonesF1]

Im not an Irvine fan but I think he'll surprise a few people in the Jordan. For a guy who has no motivation he was pretty adament about improving the R3, staying in F1, and scoring 8 points and a podium in a car that wasnt even capable of hanging with the mid-fielders most of the time. He still has "the right stuff."

[mac]

I don't think it's worth having a punt on Irv. Jordan looks like becoming a retirement home for drivers - Hill, Alesi, Irvine.

I've always liked Irvine, but at this point I think even Bernoldi could be a better option.

If Jordan gave him an OK to good car I'm sure Eddie would give 100%. However, if it's another Jag R3, I think the relationship, and Eddie's interest, could wane.

[Mr V]

On the few occasions that Eddie's had a car under him to do the job he's got the best results possible for the Jag team. I understand Sato san's point of this thread, however, i do believe that Jordan as a whole are better than Jag and given the right car Eddie will do the job. IF they don't give him the right car i can see where Sato san's heading but i believe that he will push to make the Jordan better and along with Fisi will get it better.

I personally am in a right quandry over this one, i really want to see Eddie finish his career with the team that gave him his break, but i also really wanted to see Taku in that drive and i also want to see Ant get the drive aswell. Now that Taku's out of the running for the Jordan drive, why can't Fisi get a drive with Williams or McLaren in place of either Rafe or DC and put Eddie and Ant in the yellow cars.

[NiceGuyEddie]

Do Jordan really need Irvine partering Fisichella? I really don't think so. In my book, Fisichella is the best driver out there, apart from M. Schumacher. So, what has Irvine got to offer? Testing abillities? Well, surely Ant can do the job without putting to big a pressure on the teams budget. Im also convinced by Ant's outright racespeed. Give or take a few rookiemistakes, he'll be in a good enough shape to make the Jordan look good. Even when up against Fisichella.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by NiceGuyEddie
Do Jordan really need Irvine partering Fisichella? I really don't think so. In my book, Fisichella is the best driver out there, apart from M. Schumacher. So, what has Irvine got to offer?

The thing he has to offer over Ant (for example) is more experience, Jordan won't be paying his wages B&H will, but given the car, he will bring the team more points, it's a fact of life and nothing derogetory towards Ant, but Eddie has more F1 experience and is one of the most consistant finishers out there when his car stays in one piece. Again, nothing against Ant, and i do believe that he, one day deserves a place in F1, but the last thing Eddie Jordan needs at this critical stage for his team is Ant throwing it off the road like he did at Hungary. Sure, Ant will get over that, but all the time he is "learning the ropes" the Jordan team need the points.

[JonesF1]

I dont see where youre coming from NiceGuy. Having a good driver whose also a proven developer is a bad thing? Jordan needs that tobacco money and on top of that I think Irvine will out score Fisi (he did it this year and he would definitly whoop on Ant). EI brings a lot to the table and the pressure isnt on him, its on Fisi and Jordan.

[Sato san]

But ...........the last thing EJ needs in his team either is a driver whose not completley up for the job . I know its been said that BAR rate Ant highly as a test driver , but im not suggesting that he's got as much to draw on a Irvine......but still , i think ANt has a awful lot to offer Jordan also .

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Sato san
But ...........the last thing EJ needs in his team either is a driver whose not completley up for the job .

A change is as good as a rest and all that, i honestly think that the Irv of 93/94 and 98/99 will come back after a few demoralising years at Jag.

[Sato san]

well he better if he gets the drive over Ant , Otherwise one of the most promising british youngsters in ages will be put aside.....We all know EDDIES still got what it takes , but if he doesnt use it then i fear a great chance for a British youngster has been wasted.

[Mr V]

If BAR rate him as highly as you say then he'll get his chance!!

[neilap]

Irv would be a better development driver. Jordan needs to save face in every race and show positive progress through the season to keep the sponsors happy. All teams need this but Jordan seems to be on the brink. If Jordan was in the position that Williams is in I would say bring in a young gun because the team is firmly in F1 and the car is at least consistently good. Maybe with Irv. they can please some sponsors and keep the car progressing.

[Sato san]

Originally posted by mr v
If BAR rate him as highly as you say then he'll get his chance!!

who knows ........but now Takuma is under contract for 3 years to BAR , and Jenson is under contract also .....this could be the chance that Ant needs to estabish himself on the ladder...........bloody hard one this i think .

[Valve Bounce]

I wouldn't even consider Eddie unless he was a pay driver - that is he brings something to the table at Jordan. I strongly dispute that Eddie is a great test driver - Eddie was not a team man at Jaguar and upset many of the team - to the extent that Niki got rid of him. So what if he has won before and he may have been a good driver - what cohesion will he bring to the team? If the Jordan doesn't live up to his expectations, he will start bad mouthing the car or the effort the team are putting in.
For some inate reason, I would like to see Ant in F1. This fellow is a good driver, but he dosn't have a manager who can knock on doors to get him the financial support that he desperately needs. This is not meant as any disrespect to his dad who has probably given his days to try to get the lad into F1. I know we all hate Flav, but that is the sort of character he needs to drum up financial support.
Who is to say that Ant is not the better test driver? Who is to say that Ant is not the better driver?
Now we all know that he drove off the black stuff at his only two races - but I suppose he was told to push it - and in a car that was strange to him, that he had never driven before. What the hell is the good of doing a Yoong impersonation at the back of the field. At least he showed that he had some flair, some style, and tons of ability.
I used to wish him well with KEEP IT ON THE BLACK STUFF but that is not meant as any criticism of any past drive - it is meant as Kirk Douglas would put it Into the Lion's Den.

To finally sum up - Give it up Eddie, you're never going to get anywhere

[Sato san]

i think Ant held his head up very well in his 2 outings for Minardi....i was just intertestesd to see if other people have the doubts that ia hve about Eddies commitment.

[Valve Bounce]

It is not just commitment - Eddie is not a team man. Why would EJ need another experienced driver when he already has Fisi? Why bugger up the team?

[Wrex]

Irvine (and his mouth) is the last thing Jordan needs. They have enough problems to deal with at the moment.

As for Eddies test driver and developement skills, where the hell does this come from. Since moving to Jaguar, the car has progressively become worse.

His good races last year only came when the car was good for that track and he was 'in the mood'. Jordan needs a driver that will go at it 100% in every race.

Whatever benefits Eddie can bring to the team are either offset by the problems that come with him, and easily replaced by a more suitable enthusiastic young charger.

If Mr Jordan learnt anything from that ill-fated Hill experience, he'll pass on the 'second best driver in F1'.

[nsxr]

irvine is a waste of talent and loud mouth who half the time doesn't know what hes a talking about period

[TheGreatJuan]

Irvine was quite a match for Schumi. He out qualified him in their first race at Ferrari. Too bad that achievement gained him a total veto from testing.

[Wrex]

[f1manoz]

Irvine should announce his retirement NOW. This is starting to get embarressing, and I agree with someone's statement above that Jordan is starting to turn into a retirement home.

Jordan need a young driver in that second seat, who will be a match for Giancarlo but will also be capable of bringing home the car, preferably in the points when it's possible. Of course, sponsorhip dollars will be a bonus!

[mac]

At the moment Jordan need someone with $$$$. Speed will be a bonus.

[racer69]

I'd give him a go. Put some performance clauses in his contract though.

Gotta be better than getting some young bloke in there who will write off chassis and so on.

Actually why not sign three drivers, give Irvine 12 races, the young driver 4 or so, then he can take over from Irvine when he calls it quits.

[Mark Webber]

No I think his time in the sun is over
like him or not EI will be missed . F1's last playboy

[Sato san]

Originally posted by Wrex
Whatever benefits Eddie can bring to the team are either offset by the problems that come with him, and easily replaced by a more suitable enthusiastic young charger.

i have to agree with that totally...... also i do want to see Irvine finish his career on a high , but i fear that wont happen even if he did get the jORDAN seat. The Irivne ive seen the last couple of years has been a real dissapiontment , he's show flashes of his former self but not the whole thing . Im sure he's still got it , its just it all seemed a bit half hearted at times.

I think the way forward is with Davidson .