Ralph Firman was a surprise choice for the second Jordan drive, but few can claim he did not deserve his chance to prove himself at the highest level. A former champion in British Formula Three and Japan's Formula Nippon, Firman has acquitted himself reasonably well in a tough set of circumstances.
No-one wants to learn about Formula One in a dog of a car, which is what the Jordan has been this year, but the one thing worse than that is when your team-mate is one of the fastest drivers in the world.
For a long time, Firman could not get near Giancarlo Fisichella on pace, but there have been times this season when they have been pretty evenly matched.
 | PERSONAL DATA Born: 20/5/75 Nationality: British First GP: Australia 2003 Best result: eighth 2003 position: 19th Previous teams: N/A |
How much of that was a true reflection of Firman's ultimate potential, and how much was down to the sheer frustration getting the better of the Italian is unclear, though. Firman is bold and brave, but he seems to have been struggling to get to grips with some of the subtleties required in driving an F1 car.
The Englishman spent the first half of the year getting to grips with F1 and was spending the second trying to prove that he deserved another chance at it.
Then, just when he did not need it, a mechanical failure resulted in a massive accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix and he had to sit out two races.
Whether he has done enough to keep him in a drive for 2004 remains to be seen and is likely to less on his talent than on the size of his wallet.
MMIX
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