Monday January 31st, 2000

By Alan Baldwin

Team owner Eddie Jordan unveiled his new Formula One car on Monday and said Italian driver Jarno Trulli would be as much of a revelation this season as Heinz-Harald Frentzen was last year.

He expected Germany's Frentzen, third overall last season in the drivers' standings with two wins, to be fighting world champion Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher for a top three place in 2000.

And he added that he would not swap either of his drivers for any others in Formula One, Schumacher included.

Jordan, a great talent spotter who gave Michael Schumacher his grand prix debut in 1991, said Trulli was a very special driver who had "the most important ingredient of all, he is totally dedicated with a huge turn of speed".

"I have absolutely no doubt we have captured the jewel in the crown and a perfect partner for Heinz," he said.

"I think he will be the surprise package of this year, just like Heinz-Harald was last year."

Trulli, a former carting world champion, joined Jordan from the French Prost team at the end of last season as the replacement for former world champion Damon Hill.

He impressed many teams by leading the 1997 Austrian Grand Prix in his first season in Formula One before engine failure robbed him of what would have been a sensational win.

The Italian, who started his Formula One career with Minardi, finished 11th overall last year with seven points, the same number as the disappointing Hill.

Frentzen, who had suffered while at Williams, emerged triumphantly at Jordan in 1999 as the team took third place in the constructors' championship behind Ferrari and McLaren.

"There's absolutely no doubt that the two of them will be pushing each other for the pole position or the position on the grid," said Jordan of his drivers.

Hill singularly failed to do that last season, with Frentzen scoring 54 of the team's 61 points.

"We want to start where we finished last year," said Frentzen. "It's going to be very thin air at the top with McLaren and Ferrari but we are confident that we have learned.

"We're going to have a better car, a better team."

Jordan, whose EJ10 car is named to celebrate his 10th anniversary in Formula One, said his Mugen-Honda powered team would be looking to take on the big two in 2000.

"I think we're on the way up," he said.

"Who says the sequence of sixth, fifth, fourth and third can't be broken? Except I've never liked second place," he declared after the unveiling at the Theatre Royal.

"We're going to cause a lot of upsets this year with the top two," he added.

"I believe we can make second spot, who knows about the rest? I'm not going to make too many outrageous statements at this stage."

Jordan, asked about his retirement plans after Jackie Stewart's announcement last week that he was standing down as chairman of the Jaguar team, said he would be in the sport for a lot longer than 10 years.

"I don't plan on joining Jackie Stewart down at Sunningdale golf course just yet," he said.

"I think that if I retire, then I'd be divorced in the same act as I'm not easy to live with. The longer I'm away from home, the better for everybody," he joked.