23/07/2010
NEWS STORY
In the wake of an incident involving team boss turned TV pundit Eddie Jordan at the British Grand Prix, there is talk that the Irishman could find himself nobbled again at Hockenheim this weekend.
At the end of the British Grand Prix, as Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is being interviewed, former McLaren boss Ron Dennis is seen sneaking up behind Jordan. Subsequently, the camera cuts away to race winner Mark Webber, However, on its return to the interview Jordan is no longer wearing his headphones and is trying to get a new set from a BBC technician.
It was subsequently revealed that Dennis - naughty boy that he is - had cut through the leads on Jordan's headphones, thereby leaving the Irishman unable to hear anything. He was given ear plugs but experienced great difficulty keeping them in.
According to reports, Jordan is seething at Dennis' practical joke, a BBC source telling the media that the Irishman was "spitting feathers and wanted the BBC to charge Dennis with criminal damage".
Fact is, in the opinion of many, both within the paddock and those watching on TV, Jordan has become just a little too big for his boots.
When he first got the BBC gig, Jordan was extremely nervous and even resorted to getting coaching from a long-term friend. A year down the line and the Irishman, who is regarded as one of the key elements in the British broadcaster's pitlane team, can't get enough attention, what with his flamboyant clothing and endless contradicting of (fellow pundit) David Coulthard as he lays in to drivers, team bosses and just about everyone else.
At Silverstone, Jordan put Horner on the spot, telling the Red Bull boss that his post race radio talk with Mark Webber didn't appear genuine, however, in previous weeks McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh, Ferrari's Stefano Domenicali and numerous others have been publicly done over.
While this might be good TV, it is understood that there are many within the sport who feel that Jordan has got just a little bit above himself and that the Irishman needs bringing back to earth... preferably with a bang.
There is currently a rumour doing the rounds that team members at two teams are looking for an opportunity to nobble Jordan in Germany this weekend, using Dennis' prank as the benchmark, while two of the most popular F1 fora in Germany have threads relating to fans wishing to "sabotage" the Irishman for comments he has made in recent weeks, particularly in reference to Michael Schumacher.
Other than the usual suggestions about tampering with his equipment (ouch) or holding up abusive signs behind his back - but in full view of the TV cameras - some of the others ideas being put forward are genuinely hair-raising.
Rest assured, Pitpass - and many members of the paddock, including, no doubt, the Ronster - will be watching EJ with relish this weekend.