The car itself was not a totally new car; instead it was a major upgrade of the previous year's uncompetitive EJ13. The chassis itself was modified and combined with a new aerodynamic package and more powerful Ford-badged Cosworth engine. It also had a return to a single-keel suspension layout. However, the team's small budget meant that little or no testing of the cars was carried out, both before the season and during it. Unsurprisingly, the car was just as uncompetitive as its predecessor. The lack of speed was blamed on a lack of power coming from the Cosworth engine, which the team claimed was not the same as those being used by Jaguar, Ford's works team.[1]
It was driven by Nick Heidfeld, who was swapped with Sauber in favour of Giancarlo Fisichella and Formula 3000 driver Giorgio Pantano were the two drivers. Heidfeld was chosen for his skill, while Pantano got a drive primarily because he had sponsors who would contribute money to the team. It was expected that unemployed Jos Verstappen would take the second seat, but the deal for him to drive fell through. In Canada, Pantano was replaced by GermanTimo Glock, as Pantano's backers were unable to pay for his drive in time. Glock went on to score two points in that race after both Williamses and Toyotas were disqualified for brake duct infringements. Glock would then replace Pantano for good in the final three rounds, when it became clear that Pantano would not be able to pay for his seat any longer.
The car's performance and reliability were generally poor all year. A total of 5 points were scored all year. Heidfeld drove to seventh place at Monaco, and both Jordans were promoted to 7th and 8th after the Canadian race due to multiple cars getting disqualified. However, it was still the first time in the team's history that a top-six result had not been achieved. There were other points-scoring opportunities, but poor luck and poor reliability robbed the team of these chances. Most notably Heidfeld was running strongly at the carnage-packed US Grand Prix, and looked set for points when his engine failed. Points could also have been scored at Spa, but both drivers were involved in accidents, with Pantano out on lap 1, and Heidfeld finishing 10th, but 5 laps down. Occasionally the Jordans were able to fight with other teams, notably Sauber, but more commonly Jaguar and Toyota. But for the most part, the EJ14s would spend their time running behind most of the field, with just the Minardis behind.
The team's future was put into doubt late in the season when Ford announced it was withdrawing from F1, leaving the team with no engines for the following year. For a while it appeared that the team would close immediately after the final race of the season. Only a late deal to run Toyota engines for 2005 saved the team.
Sponsorship and livery
General
As in previous years, the basic color of the car was yellow; The front and rear wings, T-cam and side pods were black. The main sponsor remained the tobacco brand Benson & Hedges, which advertised on both wings, the nose, the side pods and on the drivers' helmets. In countries where the advertising of tobacco products was not permitted, the Benson & Hedges lettering was partially covered over so that “Be on Edge” could be read or replaced with the team name. (The Benson & Hedges sponsorship was replaced entirely with Sobranie, another Gallaher Group brand, for the United States Grand Prix, to circumvent the one brand name sponsorship rule imposed by the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, as Phillip Morris USA owned the B&H trademark in the United States and was bound by the MSA.) However, the team's budget was very small, which directly affected their performance. Smaller sponsors such as Trust contributing small amounts of money to the team's budget. A lack of testing and development, plus the need to have drivers who could pay for their seat, rather than be skilled, affected the team's results.
Messages
The team had only just survived the winter break after the 2003 season, and when the EJ14 broke cover for the first time, it carried the message "Lazarus", referring to the team's resurrection from the dead. For the rest of the season the car would run with various messages of peace on the engine over. These included a dove at the Australian Grand Prix, and a picture of Ayrton Senna at the San Marino Grand Prix, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his death. The changing images were chosen by the Bahrains government, who purchased sponsorship space on the team's engine cover to celebrate the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix.
Campaigns
The team supported various campaigns and organizations placed on the engine cover including:
^ abHamilton, Maurice (2004). "Formula 1 Review: Jordan". In Alan Henry (ed.). Autocourse 2004-2005. London, England: Hazleton Publishing. pp. 68–69. ISBN1-903135-35-4.
^Ménard, Pierre (2006). "The Teams: Jordan". The Great Encyclopedia of Formula 1. Paris, France: Chronosports Editeur. p. 328. ISBN2-84707-118-0.
^Jones, Bruce, ed. (2004). "Team Statistics: Jordan". The Official Formula 1 Season Review 2004. Sparkford, England: Haynes Publishing. p. 52. ISBN1-84425-202-7.
^Domenjoz, Luc, ed. (2004). "The Players - Jordan Ford". Formula 1 Yearbook 2004-2005. Paris, France: Chronosports Editeur. pp. 38–29. ISBN2-84707-072-9.
