Eddie Jordan offered Ayrton Senna 50% of Jordan F1 to ditch McLaren and drive for the team

Eddie Jordan claims Ayrton Senna wanted to have an F1 team.

Eddie Jordan offered Ayrton Senna 50% of Jordan F1 to ditch McLaren and drive for the team

Eddie Jordan (Image via Evening standard) Ayrton Senna (Image via The Classic Machines)

Ayrton Senna will forever remain an F1 icon. The Brazilian driver reshaped the landscape of the sport as he obliterated the competition. Senna was regarded as one of the all-time greats. The three-time world champion was on the radar of every team as they tried to get their hands on this fierce driver. Eddie Jordan recently opened up about his big offer to get Senna to drive for his team.

The 75-year-old mentioned that these discussions took place right before the Brazilian left McLaren for Williams. Eddie declared his massive offer to Senna during that period. He said, “I offered him 50%, free of charge, to come and drive for Jordan.” This would have made the three-time world champion an equal owner of the Silverstone-based team alongside Jordan.

YouTube video

The former F1 team owner stated that the Brazilian driver would have had to remain the equal owner of the Jordan F1 team. Although the Irishman was convinced that bringing Ayrton Senna to his team would increase the value of the outfit substantially. Accordingly, this would have allowed Jordan to gain back more than what he lost by giving a 50% stake to the three-time world champion.

FS Video

Discover: Who is the most successful American F1 driver of all time?

Eddie Jordan claims the deal with Ayrton Senna should have happened

Ayrton Senna driving for Williams in 1994, image via Pinterest
Ayrton Senna driving for Williams in 1994 (Image via Pinterest)

The Irishman was convinced that the lucrative sponsorship with the Senna name would have done wonders for his team. The 75-year-old appreciated Senna’s talent but this deal couldn’t go through. The Brazilian driver passed away after a tragic crash at the 1994 San Marino GP in Imola while driving for Williams. Eddie said, “It should have happened but, suddenly, he died.”

Jordan insisted that it was not certain Ayrton would’ve taken the offer. However, the Irishman believed that negotiations had gone quite far down the line. Eddie Jordan said, “He wanted to have a team, and I was giving him that opportunity.” Alas, this offer could never materialize. The Jordan F1 team existed until 2005, and then it was sold to Midland. The Silverstone team took multiple avatars since and is now the Aston Martin F1 team.

Thus, Eddie Jordan provided a lucrative offer to Ayrton Senna in the latter stages of the Brazilian’s life. Owning 50% of an F1 team would’ve allowed the three-time world champion to exert some control over the team’s decisions. Subsequently, it could’ve been an ideal match for one of the best drivers of his time. Unfortunately, this will remain a ‘What if?’ story in the history books.

In case you missed it: