TV presenter Jake Humphrey was reduced to tears during a touching tribute to the late Eddie Jordan live on the BBC.
It was announced on Thursday that Jordan had passed away aged 76 following a battle with cancer.
Jordan was an iconic figure in Formula One, working both a presenter and team owner for the sport, as well as competing in F2 and F3 as a driver.
During his time as a presenter for the BBC’s coverage of F1, Jordan worked alongside Humphrey.
Now working on different projects, Humphrey recalled his time alongside Jordan at the BBC during a heartfelt tribute live on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Brought to tears as he was speaking, Humprey said: “He won races, which was remarkable, but I think, more important than that, was that he won hearts.
“You know, I remember when I left Formula One a lot of people were questioning why on earth you would leave the BBC to go and join BT Sport (now TNT).
“And I’ll never forget, he pulled me to one side and he just said, ‘I know why you’re doing this’.
“I said, ‘really?’ and he said, ‘Yes – because you want to be with your kids’, because my wife was pregnant at the time.
“I said, ‘You’re absolutely right’. He was the only person in Formula One that knew I was walking away to be with my family.”
Choked up, Humphrey added: “I recently went to a Formula One race and I sent him a message afterwards.
“I said, ‘The sound, the smell and the heat today reminded me of our days together travelling the world. I love you brother.
Humphrey, Jordan and David Coulthard worked together to host the BBC’s coverage of Formula One for four years[/caption]
Jordan and Humphrey became close friends during their time with the BBC[/caption]
“‘Those were the greatest four years of my career, and the impact you had on me was massive.’
“‘My ambition and drive came from seeing what you did and how you did it. But more importantly you were the person who made me truly realise that it’s family first every time.’”
Jordan’s passing has rocked the world of F1 after a family statement was released confirming the heartbreaking news.
It read: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Eddie Jordan OBE, the ex-Formula 1 team owner, TV pundit and entrepreneur.
“He passed away peacefully with family by his side in Cape Town in the early hours of 20th March 2025 at the age of 76, after battling with an aggressive form of prostate cancer for the past 12 months.
“EJ brought an abundance of charisma, energy and Irish charm everywhere he went. We all have a huge hole missing without his presence.
“He will be missed by so many people, but he leaves us with tonnes of great memories to keep us smiling through our sorrow.”
Since then, tributes have poured in for the icon from across the sport and beyond including from the likes of Carlos Sainz, Martin Brundle, Christian Horner and Katie Price.
Jordan was a legend in his field and although he never drove in F1, he did race in F2, F3 and Formula Atlantic, as well as 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1981.
Ten years later he did finally make it to F1 with his Jordan Grand Prix team, and gave Michael Schumacher his F1 debut in 1991.
Jordan Grand Prix raced in F1 until 2005, and achieved its best ever result in 1998 when Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher finished first and second at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The team was sold in 2005 and rebranded as MF1 Racing a year later before becoming Force India and later Racing Point and now Aston Martin.
Jordan returned to F1 in 2009 as a pundit for BBC Sport’s Grand Prix and later joined Channel 4 in 2016.
He had also been a regular pundit on Sky Sports over the years.
He was awarded an honorary OBE by Her Majesty The Queen in recognition of his services to charity and motor racing in 2012.
In 2016 he joined the cast of presenters on Top Gear, who at the time included Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc.
Jordan was a F1 team owner[/caption]
He also spent time as a driver in F2 and F3[/caption]
Jordan turned his hand to presenting later in his career[/caption]
Jordan, seen posing with his daughter Micki and son Zak, was a family man as well as a businessman[/caption]
