The 41 year old Frenchman brings to DHL Jordan Honda almost 20 years of experience in Formula One.
Born in Mazamet, in the hills behind Toulouse, Durand grew up as an aviation enthusiast. He attended the Ecole Nationale Superieure de l'Aeronautique et de l'Espace, but after graduation in 1983 he was approached by the Ligier Formula 1 team, who were in dire need of an aerodynamicist.

In 1987, following Ligier’s disastrous switch from Renault to Alfa Romeo engines, Durand decided to accept an offer to work with John Barnard at Ferrari. A successful partnership followed but in 1990, when Barnard was edged out of the Italian team, Durand began to look elsewhere for work.

When he left Maranello he moved to McLaren where he replaced ex-Jordan Technical Director, Mike Gascoyne, as the head of the aerodynamic team. Durand soon had two teams of aerodynamicists under his control: one working on design and the other on development, but in the autumn of 2000, after 10 years in the UK, he decided to return to France and was offered the job of Technical Director of Prost Grand Prix.

His move to Jordan is aimed at further strengthening the Irish team’s design and development capability. “I am delighted Henri is joining us as he brings great expertise and vast experience gained from working with some of our key rivals,” said Chief Executive Eddie Jordan. “It’s clear that we have to work harder than ever to achieve success in Formula One and, with the goal of returning the team to a race winning position, I think it is very exciting to have someone of Henri’s calibre come on board at this time.”

Henri Durand commented: ““I am excited to join Jordan and to have the chance to work with a team which has shown such potential in recent years. I know there is a very strong group of people at Jordan and that they are determined to achieve success, so I am looking forward to being part of that team and to help them achieve their goals.”

Interestingly enough, the Jordan statement says that Henri will report into the Technical Director, but doesn't say who the Technical Director is! This adds further fuel to the 'Hamidy is leaving' fire, not that any is required as the Iranian is currently on the dreaded 'gardening leave'.