Spearheading Jordan's 2004 driver squad is Nick Heidfeld who, with four years in F1 but at just 26 years old, brings the team an ideal combination of youth and experience. His testing work over the winter impressed engineers and the team awaits his Jordan race debut at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne Australia next weekend with great anticipation.
"I feel really at home with the Jordan Ford team and I'm happy to be racing with them this year. Our early tests with the EJ14 have been promising as it's been quite a reliable car and I think with any luck we will just keep improving and improving it all year,” Nick said. “It's going to be a challenge for sure and we won't make huge steps all at once. But we have a good base and little by little I'm confident we will move forward, score points and keep the competition behind us. I am fully motivated and determined to prove myself."
Jordan Ford has put the EJ14 through its paces with 17 days of testing since the car's first outing on 2 February, with test sessions in Jerez, Imola and Silverstone, completing over 4000km, all aimed at being as prepared as possible for the season opener in Australia next weekend. Helping Nick to complete this work was new teammate Giorgio Pantano and test driver Timo Glock.
Pantano is an up-and-coming star from F3000, a determined and regular race winner ready for the challenge of F1. The 25 year old Italian was the last driver to join the 2004 grid and has had limited opportunities to test over the winter but is conscientious and eager to attack the task in hand.
"I am so happy to be just days away from my first Grand Prix. It's going to be quite exciting for me and I can't wait to get out on the track - that's when it will all seem real. I have had a limited opportunity to test because I joined the team quite late, but I have enjoyed working with the team so far and I will be giving my all as I really want to guarantee them good results,” Giorgio. “Jordan is a good environment for me, I can learn from them and from my team-mate Nick. This team is one of the few that has won races and they want to fight back to that higher level. With the new car, we can work together to find how to get there. Racing in Grands Prix is my dream and while I don't expect it to be easy, I will do my absolute best. I hope to finish every race and if there's the opportunity to score a point or two, I will go for it."
German 21 year old Timo Glock completes the line-up as the first official Jordan third driver for three years. The 21 year old German will drive the team's third car in Friday free practice sessions, as permitted under the new regulations - a valuable opportunity to learn all the Grand Prix circuits and assist the team with collecting data for race preparation.
“Given such a late start, the three EJ14 chassis were produced on time, a task which demanded hard work and long hours from everyone involved and that's a credit to the team's commitment,” said James Robinson, Head of Race and Test Engineering. “In our few weeks of testing we got through much of our planned test programme and I'm pleased to say that the EJ14 has shown positive improvements over last year's car. We have worked successfully with Bridgestone and Cosworth on the package and we have a good basis to start the season's work at the first race in Australia in a few days time.""I'm pleased that we're in Australia for the first race because the country is a joy to visit and
they do such a good job of organising the Grand Prix in Melbourne,” added team boss Eddie Jordan. “I adore the atmosphere and having the racing track inside the city. It gets the adrenaline pumping like nothing else and that's a great kick-start for the season."
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