"In Formula One there is no year that is not crucial," he says. "But this year we have to demonstrate to Honda that we have the knowledge, the talent and the compatibility with our partners.
"That means results straight away. It means an ultra-reliable car. Last year we took a couple of steps backwards, now I want to go forward three."

After the euphoria of two Grand Prix wins in 1999 and seeing its driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen challenging for the world title up until the last race or two, the team made the mistake of trying to be too clever with the design of the 2000 car. They have openly admitted that they traded reliability in an attempt to gain extra speed. The result was a plunge from an all-time high 3rd place in the constructor’s championship with 61 points to a sad 6th place with a paltry 17 points.

The team also lost several high profile designers and engineers in the off season. Jordan has since replaced the departed staff with a combination of well-known names from the F1 paddock and young blood from universities, but the process has been painful. Jordan believes the team is stronger for it and pre-season testing of the new car with its Honda engine has so far shown it to be both fast and reliable.

Jordan has also brought new blood on to the board, especially John Putt – the new COO, that will enable him, not by nature a details man, to spend more time out among sponsors and potential sponsors, and doing deals.
"I never found a sponsor by sitting behind a desk," he says. "Some team owners like to put in the hours in administration, whereas my talents lie in meeting people, connecting people and selling the team. It is an Irish thing, we are good at networking, making things happen."

At the same time, he is looking to the future and working hard to develop the Jordan branding outside racing. His energy drink, EJ10, has been launched in Ireland and will soon be available in British supermarkets. Next, he will launch his most ambitious brand extension yet - a range of leisurewear, in partnership with a well-known sports brand.
"The chances of things like that working out are slim but you have got to put in the effort," Jordan says. "We will put all the profits back into the race team to make it stronger. It is important because I do not believe that there will be enough opportunities to sell space on the side of a racing car that will generate the kind of sums required to win the championship in the future. There will have to be other sources of money."