So, Farewell Eddie Irvine...

He's driven for Jordan, Ferrari and Jaguar. But now Eddie Irvine has had to call it a day

He says he’ll be back, but in our heart of hearts we know that’s not very likely.

To some he was the big-mouthed, big-headed, self-opinionated, under-performing Ulsterman who thought his view was always the right view. To others he was handsome, charismatic, funny stylish and dangerous - everything an F1 driver should be.

His attitude was no different on his Suzuka debut in 1993 than it was at his very last race in 2002. In his very first F1 race the cock-sure Jordan driver unlapped himself by overtaking race leader Ayrton Senna. Senna was not slowing down to coast home, he was at racing speed, and Edmund decided to have a bit of fun on a circuit he knew better than Ayrton (having driven in Japanese F3000 for three years).

After the race, which Senna won, after all the ceremonies and press conferences, a still seething Ayrton sought Irvine out to teach him some manners. He found Eddie talking to an Autosport journalist in the Jordan garage and proceeded to lay down the law about how things were done in F1. He was the new boy and he had to learn that he had to show respect to people like Ayrton.

Irv listened, not fazed at all by the Brazilian’s growing tirade, grinning and answering back and gradually winding Senna up to such a degree that in the end Senna attempted to punch him. “Wo! Insurance claim!” yelled an amused Irv as Senna stormed off.

Luckily the whole incident was recorded on audio tape by the man from Autosport and somewhere, written down, there is a full transcript (see below). It’s very funny, because all the way through the conversation you can feel Senna getting angrier and angrier.

Irv’s ability to wind people up hadn’t diminished through nine seasons of Formula 1. In his last year with Pedro de la Rosa, communications between the two drivers suffered a small ice age. Things got so bad that after season’s end, before Webber and Pizzonia were announced, that Pedro told Spanish radio he hoped Irvine was not re-signed for 2003.

In the past I’ve heard drivers hint that maybe it might not be so great for the team if such and such signed, but I’ve never heard someone come right out and say it.

In 2002 Irv also managed to get under the skin of the normally unflappable David Coulthard, who got fed up with one too many remarks about Kimi Raikkonen being McLaren’s future. After some brief interchanges via his weekly Sun column Eddie came out with the immortal, “I didn’t call him a fag, I said he should stop being a fag and worrying about what I say.”

You can’t imagine Olivier Panis saying that.

Irv was so nearly the 1999 World Champion. Had Ferrari not insisted on team orders at the French Grand Prix and given his place to Michael Schumacher things could have been very different. Typically, Eddie does not spend his life looking over his shoulder at what might have been. Without Schumacher’s subsequent help he wouldn’t have got close enough to Mika Hakkinen anyway. So let it go.

Quite often Irv’s love of his playboy image - his boat, his helicopter, his boys’ toys – has got in the way of the concept of: Eddie Irvine Racing Driver. When Irv says he’s training hard for the new season, journalists are inclined to think, “Yeah, right”.

He can be very abrasive when he wants to be and that’s put quite a few journos noses out of joint. Last year F1 Racing magazine were forced to print an apology to him after they went just a little bit too far in their descriptions. And their leading writer, Peter Windsor, has long been a critic of Irv and argued (quite sensibly) that Jaguar shouldn’t have signed him on a big money wage, but given him the incentive of points bonuses.

So when Windsor was employed by Sky Digital to be a pitlane reporter in 2002 there came a very awkward moment when he had to interview all four British drivers around a table before the British Grand Prix. As Murray Walker might have said, you could have cut the air with a cricket stump.

But we’ll have no more of these tense TV moments now. Both Irv and Sky Digital won’t be with us in 2003. Eddie will have to find something else to do.

I will miss him. I think he was fast and talented and the playboy image masked a fierce determination to succeed. A lot of his quotes sound outlandish because we've become conditioned to hearing people in F1 not say what they really think. The PR filter doesn't have to be applied by the PR department it has become instinctive in F1. So when you hear Villeneuve and Irvine and occasionally Montoya not putting any spin on the facts it seems radical.

But hang on a second. With Niki Lauda leaving Jaguar and both Martin Brundle and Alain Prost turning down the role of Sporting Director. Perhaps there’s an opening there…?

No. Wishful thinking.

frank.hopkinson

Thanks to Staffan Hermansson who's found the transcript for us. It's at: http://www.thesennafiles.com/senna/suzuka.html

Eddie Irvine's Classic Quotes From A Decade

You either love him or hate him, there is no middle ground where Eddie Irvine is concerned. However one thing you can be sure of is that for everything he will have a comment. Michelle Foster pays homage to the mouth of F1.

1993: During his first GP at Suzuka Irvine twice unlapped himself after being lapped by Ayrton Senna. After which he made headlines by being punched by Senna in the Jordan motorhome. During the argument Senna accused Irvine of almost hitting him, to which Irvine responded: "A miss is as good as a mile." And after the legendary punch he yelled "Insurance claim there!"

1994: Still with Jordan Irvine was asked to take part in a photo shoot, but at the time was not interested. He told team boss Eddie Jordan: "Do I have to? Send out some f**ker in my helmet, they'll never know the difference"

1995: Irvine told the Sunday Business Post about an encounter he had while trying to enter a nightclub in Dublin. Bouncer: "Sorry sir, members only" Irvine: "But I'm Eddie Irvine" Bouncer: "P*ss off! Eddie Irvine is a famous racing driver. Stop wasting my time."

Irvine had a rather hot experience in Belgium when his car caught alight. He said: "I saw the flames and I thought 'Sh*t! This things on fire!'"

1996: In his first year with Ferrari Eddie was asked why Schumacher's helmet had an odd shape replied: "Because he's German, he's got an odd shaped head."

1997: ITV's Louise Goodman interviewed Irvine and called him Edmund. Irvine was not amused. Louise said that his mother called him that: "Well you are not my mum."

1998: Irvine was asked to comment on Schumacher's Jerez crash and said: "Honestly, I think we all would have done the same. But I'd like to think I'd have made a better job of it!"

Irv was asked on Irish TV if he ever stopped by Damon Hill's Dublin house for a quick visit: "Well, to be honest, you'd have to be a pretty sad bastard to need a racing driver for a mate. I have normal friends and have the crack with them. Well, to be honest, most of the guys in Formula 1 just don't get it."

Irvine crashed into the side of Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton: "I don't want to blame anyone, but I will say it wasn't my fault. I couldn't put the car into helicopter mode and suddenly disappear. He came out of the last corner very well and came alongside me. We braked at the same time and he turned in on me."

Having won the race in Argentina after predicting the win would go to Schumacher Irvine said in a post-race interview: "I tell you what, my bookie is not going to be too pleased. I put money on Michael to win and I put money on myself each-way as well. He'll be crying a bit today."

1999 Irvine was handed the No1 spot at Ferrari when Schumacher broke his leg at the British race: "Ferrari didn't hire me to win the world championship, but this is what they've asked for now and I'm going to try my best to deliver. To be Ferrari's number one driver is everybody's dream".

Irvine left Ferrari at the end of the 1999 season to join Jaguar. He said: "The timing is really fantastic. I was really desperate to get out of Ferrari this season, and I am a lucky, lucky guy. I could not have coped with another year because Michael Schumacher is so damn good. He is a back-breaker. He saps you, and the effort of working and competing with him drains you."

Irvine aims to retain his playboy image. "It's got me this far the way I do it. If you change it and get serious you are going to get depressed and you won't be as happy with your life. I have such a ball away from races that when I get to races I am actually looking forward to getting on with it. I'll be in the boat having a blast, but then on Thursday that'll stop. I'll get to the circuit relaxed and refreshed and that has got to put you in a better frame of mind."

After a poor performance at the European Grand Prix Irvine stated: "Life is strange, but F1 is simply crazy."

2000: Irvine denied that his ambition was to be Britain's No1 driver: "It's not significant at all. I might just as well still be doing British F3. It carries no weight at all, does it? I might sell a few more hats, but that's not what I am in F1 to do."

From Life In The Fast Lane, Irvine said: "But fear is an irrational business. The things that really scare the shit out of me are earwigs, which used to infest our home in Ireland. I'd rather do 180mph around Monza than even see an earwig, let alone have one crawling around on me. I don't like snakes, either, but they are about the only two things that scare me, except for weddings, of course, and commitment, but that's another story."

Irvine finally reveals his role at Jaguar in 2000: "My job this year was to complain a lot about what was wrong. Hopefully, I won't have the need to do so much complaining."

2001 Irv proclaims his hopes for his second season with Jaguar: "It will be difficult to do that badly again. If we do that badly again we deserve a good kicking."

Irv voices his opinion on journalists: "To be honest, journalists have pages to fill and some people fill them better than others. Sometimes, it's very easy to make a headline by writing things that aren't true and some people go down that route and some people go down the route of trying to be honest, hardworking and investigate journalists. It doesn't affect me, it's great, I love being in the newspapers, it makes me more famous."

Irvine proclaims he is No2 in F1: "You know there is no-one in the pit lane that is better than me, except for Michael. I have no doubts about that."

2002: Irvine claimed third place in Italy. It turned out to be his final F1 podium. Afterwards he said: "It's comforting to know that old farts like myself can still blow the pants off Formula One's young guns."

Irvine responds to a rather up David Coulthard: "I didn't call him a fag, I actually said he should stop being a fag and worrying about what I say."

2003: Irvine announced that the 2002 Japanese Grand Prix was his final F1 race. "It's a sad day. I have decided not to drive in Formula One this year - or at least at the moment. In July last year I made up my mind to drive for Jordan Grand Prix. I had very strong feelings about returning to the team which started my F1 career. Unfortunately, due to the economic downturn, Jordan are forced to look for a driver who brings extra funds to the team whilst I can only bring speed, reliability and greater experience. It's a shame because I really would have enjoyed the rule changes, especially single-lap qualifying."

Showdown at Suzuka

Much speculation surrounds Ayrton Senna's encounter with Eddie Irvine after the 1993 Japanese GP. The following is a transcript of that now infamous event ...

The scene: Eddie Irvine is sitting alone on a table in the Jordan cabin. Jordan's commercial manager, Rubens Barichello and several other people, mostly Team members, are also present. Suzuka was Irvine's first ever F1 race and everyone is watching a re-run of the Senna-Hill-Irvine incident.

Suddenly the door opens and in walks Ayrton Senna accompanied by Norman Howell, director of communications for McLaren and Giorgio Ascanelli, Senna's engineer.

Senna is looking for Irvine, but either he doesn't see him or he doesn't recognise him. Eddie Irvine raises his hand and Senna walks over to him ...

Irvine : Here!

Senna : What the **** do you think you were doing?

Irvine : I was racing!

Senna : You were racing? Do you know the rule that you're supposed to let the leaders come by when you're a back marker?

Irvine : If you were going fast enough, it was no problem.

Senna : I overtook you! And you went three times off the road in front of me, at the same place, like ****ing idiot, where there was oil. And you were throwing stones and all things in front of me for three laps. When I took you, you realised I was ahead of you. And when I came up behind Hill, because he was on slicks and in difficulties, you should have stayed behind me. You took a very big risk to put me out of the race.

Irvine : Where did I put you in any danger?

Senna : You didn't put me in any danger?

Irvine : Did I touch you? Did I touch you once?

Senna : No, but you were that much from touching me, and I happened to be the ****ing leader. I HAPPENED TO BE THE ****ING LEADER!

Irvine : A miss is as good as a mile.

Senna : I tell you something. If you don't behave properly in the next event, you can just rethink what you do. I can guarantee you that.

Irvine : The stewards said "No problem. Nothing was wrong."

Senna : Yeah? You wait till Australia. You wait till Australia, when the stewards will talk to you. Then you tell me if they tell you this.

Irvine : Hey, I'm out there to do the best for me.

Senna : This is not correct. You want to do well. I understand, because I've been there I understand. But it's very unprofessional. If you are a back marker, because you happen to be lapped ...

Irvine : But I would have followed you if you'd overtaken Hill!

Senna : You should let the leader go by ...

Irvine : I understand that fully!

Senna : ... and not come by and do the things you did. You nearly hit Hill in front of me three times, because I saw, and I could of collected you and him as a result, and that's not the way to do that.

Irvine : But I'm racing! I'm racing! You just happened to ...

Senna : You're not racing! You're driving like a ****ing idiot. You're not a racing driver, you're a ****ing idiot!

Irvine: You talk, you talk. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Senna : I was in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Irvine : Yes. I was battling with Hill.

Senna : Really? Really? Just tell me one thing. Who is supposed to have the call? You, or the leader of the race who comes through to lap you?

Irvine : The leader of the race.

Senna : So what have you done?

Irvine : You, you were too slow, and I had to overtake you to try to get at Hill.

Senna : Really? How did I lap you if I was too slow?

Irvine : Rain. Because on slicks you were quicker than me, on wets you weren't.

Senna : Really? Really? How did I come and overtake you on wets?

Irvine : Huh?

Senna : How come I overtook you on wets?

Irvine : I can't remember that. I don't actually remember the race.

Senna : Exactly. Because you are not competent enough to remember. That's how it goes you know.

Irvine : Fair enough. Fair enough. That's what you think.

Senna : You be careful guy.

Irvine : I will. I'll watch out for you.

Senna : You're gonna have problems not with me only, but with lots of other guys, also the FIA.

Irvine : Yeah?

Senna : You bet.

Irvine : Yeah? Good.

Senna : Yeah? It's good to know that.

Irvine : See you out there.

Senna : It's good to know that.

Irvine : See you out there ...

Appearing to turn away Senna then turns back and hits Irvine with his left hand. The blow lands on the right side of Irvine's head. Irvine loses his balance and falls off the table. Senna is still shouting as he is hustled towards the door.

Irvine yells "Insurance claim there!"

Senna (leaving) retorts "You got to learn to respect where you're going wrong!"