SEPTEMBER 29, 2004

Jordan and Renault

There is talk at the moment of Eddie Jordan doing a deal with Renault over engines for 2005.

There is talk at the moment of Eddie Jordan doing a deal with Renault over engines for 2005 but this does not seem a very likely scenario as Renault is struggling to compete with the other top teams in terms of horsepower, despite having a $150m budget for its V10 engine. Extra money is not going to make much of a difference as Jordan is currently in a position to get engines from Toyota for a maximum of $8m a year. It is widely believed that the Renault engine is not as good as the Toyota and so it is really not in anyone's interest for the deal to go ahead, unless of course it is read as a political move to bring Jordan under the control of Renault in a similar arrangement to the one that now exists between Ferrari and Sauber. This would obviously mean that Eddie Jordan would give up his political voice and that Flavio Briatore would be able to exercise another vote. Although Renault is one of the signatories to the GPWC, the reality is that Briatore has tended to support ideas which have been put forward by Bernie Ecclestone, a curious state of affairs.

In recent days Jordan has apparently switched from being irritated by remarks made by Bernie Ecclestone in China to be a fan of the idea that the sport might be better off without the manufacturers.