FORMULA 1: Honda enters new era with Jordan Grand Prix
17 January 2001
Honda's new partnership with Jordan Grand Prix was unveiled today (Tuesday) at the official media launch of Jordan Honda's 2001 Formula 1 challenger. The all-new EJ11 will be powered by Honda's advanced RA001E V10 3-litre engine, heralding the start of a long-term relationship between the world's largest engine manufacturer and the Silverstone-based team. At the launch, Jordan team owner Eddie Jordan was joined by Takefumi Hosaka, Managing Director of Honda R&D and Honda's F1 Project Leader. Also present were 2001 Jordan Honda race drivers, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli, together with official test driver Ricardo Zonta. "We have made good progress in the last few months, getting to know Jordan and establishing efficient working practices," said Mr Hosaka. "Jordan is a strong, solid team, with excellent chassis technology and experience. The Jordan chassis and the Honda engine will make an excellent combination. We are looking forward to achieving some good results together. "Our target for the 2001 is to have one Honda-powered team in the top three of the Constructors' Championship. We also want to achieve a Honda-powered driver on the top step of the podium and with the support of our partners, I am sure we should be able to achieve this." Welcoming Honda to his team's headquarters, Eddie Jordan underlined the importance of the new association with the engine manufacturer. "This is the realisation of a dream, representing a total commitment to winning the World Championship," confirmed Jordan. "Honda has an unrivalled success story in Formula 1 and we have been given the awesome responsibility of adding to the record." Honda's latest Formula 1 engine is an evolution of last year's powerful, reliable unit that powered BAR Honda to fifth place in the 2000 Constructors' Championship, but many new elements have been incorporated in preparation for 2001. "The new engine may look the same from the outside, but we have improved the unit in almost every area," said Kazutoshi Nishizawa, Technical Director of Honda Racing Development. "We have investigated and addressed the issues from last season and the result is a superior unit. There will be a continuous programme of development throughout the year and we expect to make further significant improvements during the season." The next six weeks will witness an intensive testing programme, before the Jordan Honda EJ11 makes its debut at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 4 March 2001.