Jordan-Honda EJ11

The car was different from its disappointing predecessor, the Jordan EJ10. The EJ11 now had seven gears instead of the previous car's six, and also featured a much higher nose (resulting in a shark-based livery. But, most notably, the team now had works Honda engines, replacing the Mugen Honda engines used for the previous three years. This put the team into direct competition with fellow-Honda users British American Racing.

Much was expected of the EJ11. After the disappointing 2000 season, where the team finished only sixth in the Constructors' Championship, the EJ11 was expected to return the team to the very front of the grid. The car was very fast in pre-season testing, regularly topping the time sheets at many tracks. The team's lead driver, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, claimed it was the best car he had ever driven, and that he could become champion driving it. Jarno Trulli, the team's other driver, was equally optimistic. Many predicted that the EJ11 would be close behind Ferrari and McLaren in the fight for the title honours.

The EJ11 was a great qualifying car, and at nearly every Grand Prix at least one of the EJ11s was in the top six. However, in race trim the car lost its performance. It was also unreliable, with a run of five straight retirements for Trulli, most of which occurred at crucial moments. The team were often able to get the cars into the points, but a mechanical problem would cause the car to retire from the race. Had the car finished every race it started, it would almost certainly achieved some podium finishes. Instead the team settled for three fourths, four fifths and two sixths. Although 2001 was an improvement over the 2000 season, the results were still not good enough. Jordan only narrowly beat BAR, and were beaten by the much smaller, underfunded Sauber team. A total of 19 points were scored, two more than BAR but two less than Sauber. The EJ11 was fast enough to finish fourth in the Constructors' Championship, but constant problems, similar to those that occurred in the previous year, occurred again. Overall, the team underperformed.

World Championship Points: 19
Constructor Championship Position: 5th
Best Result: 4th (Malasya, Spain)

(Source: Wikipedia)