Team: 2002 Jordan Honda/2003 Jordan Ford
Nationality: Italian
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STATS
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Year
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Rank
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Wins
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Poles
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Podium
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Best finish
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2002
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11
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0
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0
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0
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5th, three times
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Career
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0
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1
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9
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2002 Recap
The Good: After four years at Benetton, Fisichella returned to Jordan a more confident driver and much more adept at setting up the car. He ended
the season with the most points of the four "Honda-powered" drivers in the lineup thanks to three fifth-place finishes in the middle of the season.
Season Highlight: After a string of retirements, Fisichella finally made it into the points with a fifth place in Austria. It was a huge morale booster for the team, especially considering his teammate Takuma Sato had had a horrifying crash in the race from which he was lucky to escape with only minor injuries.
The Bad: The Jordan EJ12 was certainly not the best car the team has ever designed. The Honda V10 improved as the season progressed, but Honda has yet to recapture its glory days of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Reliability woes played a part in most of Fisichella's eight retirements.
Key Stat: Fifth place three times in a row in Austria, Monaco and Canada.
2003 Outlook
What needs to be done: Along with Sauber and Minardi, Jordan is one of only three teams left in F1 without a direct link to a major auto manufacturer. The good news is that Jordan will run Ford Cosworth V10s in 2003, using the engines that Jaguar ran in 2002 and that many considered to be the third-best power plant after the Ferrari and the BMW. The bad news is that the Fords have to be leased while the Hondas were free. The team is going to have to work within a realistic budget, but that's something Eddie Jordan is very proficient at doing. The team needs to build a car that matches Fisichella's talent.
Prediction: Now that Gary Anderson (director of race engineering) is back with the team, his input will result in a much better chassis in 2003 than the team produced in 2002. The Ford Cosworth will provide plenty of reliable horsepower. Fisichella is highly rated driver, but the competition in the midfield will be very stiff indeed.
Your Take
Can Fisichella rise from the middle of the pack and challenge for a few podiums in 2003? Here are your thoughts.
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