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F1 team owner was furious with his drivers: 'I went completely berserk'

Eddie Jordan was stern but fair to teammates Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella after every team owner's nightmare came true for Jordan at the 1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix.

Ralf Schumacher Canada 1997
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From 1991 through 2005, Eddie Jordan was on the Formula One grid with his team, Jordan Grand Prix.

It all started for Jordan when he began his own racing team in late 1979, then in 1991 the team joined the premier class and hired Gary Anderson as chief designer.

In 1997, Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella drove for the team. At the Luxembourg Grand Prix, the teammates crashed, along with Michael Schumacher's Ferrari, after being allowed to start the race as P4 and P8, respectively.

Jordan reveals the moment he "went completely crazy" in the Formula for Success podcast, following the crash.

"The 1997 car was extremely strong and I got the impression that when Giancarlo was in second place, he was not willing to give it up for Ralf because he was much faster. And he came to the hairpin and they hit each other," said Jordan.

"I went completely crazy. Even the most liberal country in the world would have censored what I had said, that's how mean I was to them. I told them they were two total w**kers. I said they didn't deserve to be in the car and that I would fire them as soon as I got them back."

"The annoyance they unnecessarily caused the team"

"I did calm down, but I never saw the joke of it, because in my mind it cost us," explained Jordan.

By that stage the team had yet to win a Grand Prix, with the Luxembourg race presenting them with one of the best opportunities.

As punishment, Ralf and Giancarlo had to come to the factory: "I made them sit for a week while they repaired the cars in the garage at the factory.

"I made sure they came to England and had to put in as many hours as the mechanics, because I wanted them to see how much they had hurt the rest of the team.

"Not to mention the financial stress or pain, but just the annoyance they caused the team unnecessarily."

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