Eddie Irvine

Early life and career

Eddie Irvine was born on 10 November 1965 in Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland, to Edmund Sr. and Kathleen. He grew up in Conlig and went to Regent House Grammar School. His older sister Sonia worked as his physiotherapist until 1999. The family spent holidays at the British Grand Prix, and his father raced single-seaters for fun.

Irvine looked up to fellow Northern Irish driver John Watson. He started racing cars in 1983 after his parents deemed motorcycle racing too dangerous. His father paid for his racing in exchange for unpaid work at the family scrapyard. Irvine won his first race at Brands Hatch in 1984.

In 1987 he drove for Van Diemen, winning the Esso Formula Ford series, the RAC Formula Ford series, and the Formula Ford Festival. That winter, Marlboro held a test, and Irvine, as the fastest driver, joined West Surrey Racing for the 1988 British Formula 3 season, finishing fifth. He started the Macau Grand Prix from pole but did not finish. In 1989 he raced in International Formula 3000 with Pacific Racing, finishing ninth.

He moved to Jordan’s Formula 3000 team in 1990, winning in Germany and placing third in the championship. He then went to Japan for the 1991 Formula 3000 season, winning one race and finishing seventh. Irvine’s first 24 Hours of Le Mans came in 1992, driving a SARD Toyota Group C car with Roland Ratzenberger and Eje Elgh. The team finished ninth overall and second in class.

Formula One career

Irvine made his Formula One debut at the 1993 Japanese Grand Prix with Jordan Grand Prix, partnering Rubens Barrichello. He scored a point with sixth place and unlapped himself against race leader Ayrton Senna, who later punched Irvine in an altercation, receiving a suspended two-race ban. Irvine retired from the final race in Australia and finished 22nd in the Drivers' Championship. He remained at Jordan for 1994.

At the Brazilian Grand Prix he was involved in a four-car crash and received a one-race ban and $10,000 fine; his appeal was rejected and the penalty increased to three races. He returned at the Spanish Grand Prix with a sixth-place finish. After five consecutive retirements, he was classified 13th in Belgium. He received a suspended one-race ban for an incident with Johnny Herbert in Italy.

In Portugal he clipped Damon Hill's car, flipping it; Irvine was warned his Super Licence could be revoked. Irvine scored his first podium with Jordan before moving to Ferrari. His most successful season was 1999, when he took four victories and finished second in the World Championship, two points behind Mika Häkkinen. In four years with Ferrari he also finished fourth overall and scored 22 podiums.

He moved to Jaguar Racing, scoring the team's first podium and his final podium in 2002. Irvine retired from competitive motorsport at the end of the 2002 season.

Post-Formula One (2003–present)

In 2002 Irvine successfully sued Talksport for passing off his image in a print advertisement; the case was resolved in the Court of Appeal in 2003. Eight years later he fronted a half-hour programme on the station, the LG Grand Prix Show. On 24 July 2003 he was arrested for driving a scooter over 30 mph through Hyde Park without a licence or insurance; an arrest warrant with bail was issued after he did not attend sentencing. Irvine played himself in the 2004 comedy The Prince & Me.

He was executive producer of a film about Paddy Mayne. In late 2006 he launched the Sky One programme The Race, in which two teams of celebrity drivers competed; Irvine captained the boys team. In May 2005 he was rumoured to be heading a consortium to buy the Jordan Grand Prix team and later held talks with Minardi team principal Paul Stoddart. Irvine was a millionaire through property investment before reaching Formula One, owning around forty properties worldwide.

According to the 2006 Sunday Times Rich List, he was the fifth richest person in Northern Ireland, with a fortune of about £160 million. He owns Eddie Irvine Sports, a facility in Bangor. He was due to take part in the 2006 ITV Soccer Aid but pulled out due to a leg injury. On 9 January 2014 he was sentenced to six months in prison in Italy for mutual injury after a brawl in a Milan night club; the sentence was likely to be suspended.

Personal life

Eddie Irvine credits his former girlfriend Maria Drummond, whom he met at the 1988 Macau Grand Prix, as his greatest influence. The pair have a daughter named Zoe, and Irvine has described her birth as the finest moment of his life. Although often viewed as a playboy in the style of James Hunt, Irvine rejects that label, insisting his life is 90% work. His nicknames include "Irv the Swerve" and later "Fast Eddie."

Irvine identifies as Irish. As a native of Northern Ireland, he is entitled to identify as British, Irish, or both, and to hold dual citizenship. He raced under an Irish licence. The FIA repeatedly and mistakenly listed him as Irish on official entry forms.

At several early podium ceremonies, race organisers incorrectly flew the Irish Tricolour. After the 1997 Argentine Grand Prix, his family received threatening phone calls. In response, Irvine requested that a neutral shamrock flag be raised and the non-sectarian tune "Londonderry Air" be played for any future victory.