26th February - Justin Wilson was just too tall.


Justin looked fast in Jordan tests.
Eddie has admitted that Justin Wilson, who tested for the Jordan team last year, lost out on the driver’s seat because he was too tall.

Justin tested for the Irish team last September and October and many felt the Britain, who romped to the F3000 crown, should have been given his chance ahead of F3 champion, Takuma Sato.

Justin tested very impressively - on his F1 test debut he finished just 0.6sec behind Jordan driver Jean Alesi and only a second behind Wurz in a McLaren who led the timesheets. Ironically on that same day he finished over 2 seconds ahead of Mark Webber, the driver he beat to the F3000 championship and the man who has since secured an F1 drive with Minardi for 2002.

But Jordan had to give Wilson the thumbs-down because, at 6ft 1in, the driver was too big to fit comfortably into the cockpit, and a major redesign would have led to aerodynamic disadvantages.
Speaking to The Sun Jordan said, "It would have been great to have another British driver in the team but Justin was just too tall.
"The way the current cars have to be built means that drivers need to be the size of jockeys. Maybe this is something the FIA should look at because great talent could be lost because the cockpits are so cramped.”

Eddie is obviously very happy with the two drivers he has got for the upcoming season. "I am pleased with the drivers we have for this season. Fisichella is the most under-rated racer in the pit-lane and if we can hand him the equipment he will be a threat to the likes of Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard.
"People are already saying we only signed Sato to keep engine-backers Honda happy. But he is, without question, the best driver Japan has ever produced.
"He is going to be special. When he lines up in Melbourne I am confident he will do a good, solid job and then just keep improving. By mid-season he'll be right on the pace."



Click Here!


This page hosted by GeoCities Get your own Free Home Page
1