You don't get F1 team bosses like Eddie Jordan anymore - a one-of-a-kind maverick with hilarious anecdotes

I think people like Toto Wolff and Christian Horner are synonymous with the sport nowadays, but in years gone by it was the likes of Frank Williams, Enzo Ferrari and Bruce McLaren; gentlemen who set up teams bearing their own name.

Then, in the 1990s, another man rocked up and did the same thing - but tore apart every sporting convention in the process.

Eddie Jordan really was one of a kind, a man who practically bled petrol, such was his love of motorsport. Before entering F1 he ran eponymous teams in the junior categories, patiently waiting for his shot at the pinnacle of racing.

When it came, he certainly didn’t waste it; the team racked up four victories during its time in F1, all coming in the late 1990s when the team rose up to challenge the likes of McLaren and Ferrari at the front of the grid. He gave drives to F1 legends like Damon Hill, Martin Brundle and Rubens Barrichello - and handed Michael Schumacher his debut at Spa in 1991.

But for me, it was what happened off-track that made Jordan such a fascinating character. For football fans, he could perhaps be compared to someone like Harry Redknapp; a shrewd businessman who loved getting deals done, but didn’t mind screwing over someone else in the process.

In 1991, when Jordan first entered F1, they were desperate to get some sponsorship money, and at one point invited Kodak for a tour. The camera firm said they didn’t like the green colour of the cars - which Jordan said was an Irish green - because it was the colour of a rival company, Fujifilm.

Guess which brand ended up sponsoring the car that year?

One of the funniest stories came from his Formula 3 days - where he would block book Silverstone for testing. But he made the deal exclusive for the Jordan team, and then forced other teams who wanted to test on those days to pay him directly for the privilege.

Speaking to retired F1 driver David Coulthard on their podcast, Formula For Success, Jordan said: “It was a large margin - I said it’s exclusive testing and if you want to test, this is the cost. Dick Bennett from West Surrey Racing sent out Ayrton Senna against Brundle, who was running in the Jordan car. We put the block out in front of him and said ‘we can’t let you out.’

“I was keeled over in laughing, I couldn’t stop myself. Dick was apoplectic - every sinew, every vein in his neck, he wanted to kill me. I said it was very simple, [just] pay.”

During the 1990s, safety became a major concern in F1, especially after the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994. Sponsors were concerned about the impact on their brands if they became associated with fatalities, but Eddie Jordan’s sponsors had no such worries.

This is probably because Jordan allegedly told them that his cars had airbags in the steering wheels. It’s never been confirmed whether this was true (him telling them, not the airbags themselves) but you wouldn’t put it past the Irish team boss!

In a much more corporate world, you simply don’t get people like Eddie Jordan in F1 anymore, and it’s a tremendous shame. From his sharp wit to weird get-rich-quick schemes, he was as authentic to himself as anyone ever could be.

It’s a shame to have lost him, and he will be dearly missed by all F1 fans - myself included.