Jordan Resisted Diniz Bucks

Eddie Jordan made a very pointed reply to claims that he is money orientated by apparently signing Heinz-Harald Frentzen to his 1999 squad instead of the available Pedro Diniz.


The Irishman, who came under fire from Michael Schumacher over the issue of pay drivers, announced at Monza that Frentzen and current driver Damon Hill would be teaming up for Jordan next season, but admitted that he could have signed Pedro Diniz. The Brazilian would have brought a substantial sponsorship budget from Parmalat, but Jordan decided that Frentzen's experience and ability would be better suited to the team's ambitions.


(We've moved on,) said Jordan in Italy, (In the old days, it was unthinkable that Jordan could go racing without a budget from a driver, but now we can.)


With Frentzen and Hill in place for 1999, the Silverstone team will field one of the most experienced line-ups on the grid, but has left Diniz more than a little aggrieved. The current Arrows driver claims that Jordan promised to sign him if it lost the services of Ralf Schumacher for next season.