With the announcement of Jordan’s new supply of Toyota engines for next season you would expect the boys from Northamptonshire to be down the pub sharing a drink with their new Japanese friends, but no. In fact the Toyota deal is just engines, no branding, not even a Toyota sticker in sight. But what it does mean is that Jordan now has the chance to climb up the Formula One grid, and help Toyota’s development as they gun for their first podium and ultimately first race victory. If nothing more Jordan is Toyota’s adopted little brother who has cruelly been mistreated by others in the past, that being Honda and Ford. Whereas broken promise’s with Honda and Ford to make Jordan the creditable team it has always wanted to be maybe this is its chance with Toyota. Here you have a company, which is snowed under with motorsport success in rallying and sports cars. Now in Formula One I feel Toyota’s move to not only save one of the sports most popular independent teams, they now have the chance with the help of experience of Jordan to share success and to develop as a race winning team faster than anyone else.

But if this is to lead Toyota onto a race winning future, as Ferrari did when they got hold of Sauber by the ears what does this mean for Jordan? Well, for starters their lower budget puts them in a different league table compared to Toyota, and of course it would be pointless having good engines if your going to employ paper-boy type drivers. Move forward Ryan Briscoe. Here you have a young driver who has had the benefit of private teaching from Toyota’s best masters who wants to put his foot down in a racecar. Of course he has experience being last years Friday tester for Toyota and was able to match the pace of his team-mate’s, and with Toyota support on Jordan’s side, well, it would be stupid not to put a bet on him in one of those seats. But who gets the second seat? I feel it’ll be down to what your bank statement saids more than your C.V. If Briscoe was to get his backside into a Jordan, which would more likely be paid for by Toyota I wouldn’t expect those Toyota logo’s to be out just yet. I would expect the second seat to go Dutch, no, not Jos the Boss, but someone like DTM star Christijan Albers. Sponsor’s Trust would go all yellow inside if they got their man in, and I’m sure Eddie Jordan would be running down to the bank wetting himself if an agreement was made. With Albers unlikely to re-return to the DTM next season, and with sponsors being the key issue, I’m sure Jordan’s line up of some quality racers; Ryan Briscoe and Christijan Albers would fit the bill nicely.

With the prospect of Nick Heidfeld off to Williams and Timo Glock taking a step back into a testing role the two Jordan seats are looking very warm with the idea of two young and determined drivers behind the wheel of Toyota power. So Mr Jordan, are independent teams back on the map? You bet they are!

Nicholas Sparkes