This year Jordan has been more industrious than ever in the weeks preceding the season opener in Melbourne; with pre-season testing running until the latest possible moment, a spectacular eleventhhour EJ12 launch being held at Brussels airport to coincide with the announcement of DHL as the team’s new title sponsor, the re-liverying of all the team equipment and a stop-over in Tokyo to attend a Honda press conference.

The start of the 2002 season sees a number of changes and new faces welcomed at Jordan. Giancarlo Fisichella’s return to the team after a four-year stretch at Benetton (now Renault) has proven very popular, the Italian ace settling in easily and bringing with him a wealth of experience. Team mate Takuma Sato carries Japan’s hopes as he prepares to make his Formula One debut, the reigning British Formula 3 Champion having worked extremely hard during the team’s winter test programme and enjoying not only the prospect of his first Grand Prix but also his first visit to Australia.

Gary Anderson, who first joined Jordan at its inception in 1990 and was the technical brain behind Jordan cars over an eight year period, re-joins the team as Director of Race and Test Engineering, following three years working with Jaguar Racing and Reynard Motorsport. Internal progression sees Rob Smedley and James Key become race engineers to Fisichella and Sato respectively, while Tim Edwards (from Melbourne, Australia), who was previously Test Team Manager, becomes