Eddie Irvine's Classic Quotes
Eddie Irvine's Classic Quotes
19/04/04
You either love him or hate him, there is no middle ground where Eddie Irvine is concerned. However one thing you can be sure of is that for
everything he will have a comment. Michelle Foster pays homage to the mouth of F1.
1993
During his first GP at Suzuka, Irvine twice unlapped himself after being lapped by Ayrton Senna. After which he made headlines by being punched by
Senna in the Jordan motorhome. During the argument Senna accused Irvine of almost hitting him, to which Irvine responded: "A miss is as good as
a mile." And after the legendary punch, he yelled "Insurance claim there!"
1994
Still with Jordan, Irvine was asked to take part in a photo shoot, but at the time was not interested. He told team boss Eddie Jordan: "Do I
have to? Send out some f**ker in my helmet, they'll never know the difference"
1995
Irvine told the Sunday Business Post about an encounter he had while trying to enter a nightclub in Dublin.
Bouncer: "Sorry sir, members only"
Irvine: "But I'm Eddie Irvine"
Bouncer: "P*ss off! Eddie Irvine is a famous racing driver. Stop wasting my time."
Irvine had a rather hot experience in Belgium when his car caught alight. He said: "I saw the flames and I thought 'Sh*t! This things on
fire!'"
1996
In his first year with Ferrari, Eddie was asked why Schumacher's helmet had an odd shape replied: "Because he's German, he's
got an odd shaped head."
1997
ITV's Louise Goodman interviewed Irvine and called him Edmund. Irvine was not amused. Louise said that his mother called him that: "Well
you are not my mum."
1998
Irvine was asked to comment on Schumacher's Jerez crash and said: "Honestly, I think we all would have done the same. But I'd like
to think I'd have made a better job of it!"
Irv was asked on Irish TV if he ever stopped by Damon Hill's Dublin house for a quick visit: "Well, to be honest, you'd have to be a
pretty sad bastard to need a racing driver for a mate. I have normal friends and have the crack with them. Well, to be honest, most of the guys in
Formula 1 just don't get it."
Irvine crashed into the side of Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton: "I don't want to blame anyone, but I will say it wasn't my
fault. I couldn't put the car into helicopter mode and suddenly disappear. He came out of the last corner very well and came alongside me. We
braked at the same time and he turned in on me."
Having won the race in Argentina after predicting the win would go to Schumacher Irvine said in a post-race interview: "I tell you what, my
bookie is not going to be too pleased. I put money on Michael to win and I put money on myself each-way as well. He'll be crying a bit
today."
1999
Irvine was handed the No1 spot at Ferrari when Schumacher broke his leg at the British race: "Ferrari didn't hire me to win the world
championship, but this is what they've asked for now and I'm going to try my best to deliver. To be Ferrari's number one driver is
everybody's dream".
Irvine left Ferrari at the end of the 1999 season to join Jaguar. He said: "The timing is really fantastic. I was really desperate to get out of
Ferrari this season, and I am a lucky, lucky guy. I could not have coped with another year because Michael Schumacher is so damn good. He is a
back-breaker. He saps you, and the effort of working and competing with him drains you."
Irvine aims to retain his playboy image. "It's got me this far the way I do it. If you change it and get serious you are going to get
depressed and you won't be as happy with your life. I have such a ball away from races that when I get to races I am actually looking forward to
getting on with it. I'll be in the boat having a blast, but then on Thursday that'll stop. I'll get to the circuit relaxed and
refreshed and that has got to put you in a better frame of mind."
After a poor performance at the European Grand Prix Irvine stated: "Life is strange, but F1 is simply crazy."
Irvine was asked why he's so popular in Australia: "Because it's full of Irish convicts"
Asked which driver he liked the most apart of Michael Schumacher: "Hmmm...ammm...well we're all a bunch of tossers really!"
Giving his opinion on Ralf Schumacher: "Ralf Schumacher had something missing from his head."
And Jacques Villeneuve: "Villeneuve only got into F1 'cos of his father."
Asked how he felt about the national anthem being played after he won a race Irvine said: "I couldn't give a sh*t which song is played or
which flag is flown. I race for myself and for no-one else."
Miss Belgium asks Irvine in the Spa paddock: "How can I seduce you?"
Irvine's response: "Take your clothes off."
She wasn't charmed.
Irvine was interviewed prior to the Italian GP by Simona Ventura who asked: "Eddie, if you have Mika Häkkinen and Michael Schumacher on a tower,
whom would you throw out?"
Irvine answered: "Mika Häkkinen, because Michael Schumacher is already out of this championship."
2000
Irvine denied that his ambition was to be Britain's No1 driver: "It's not significant at all. I might just as well still be doing
British F3. It carries no weight at all, does it? I might sell a few more hats, but that's not what I am in F1 to do."
From Life In The Fast Lane, Irvine said: "But fear is an irrational business. The things that really scare the poo out of me are earwigs, which
used to infest our home in Ireland. I'd rather do 180mph around Monza than even see an earwig, let alone have one crawling around on me. I
don't like snakes, either, but they are about the only two things that scare me, except for weddings, of course, and commitment, but
that's another story."
Irvine finally reveals his role at Jaguar in 2000: "My job this year was to complain a lot about what was wrong. Hopefully, I won't have
the need to do so much complaining."
A German newspaper reported that Madonna had the hots for Irvine to which he responds: "She obviously has impeccable taste in men"
2001
Irv proclaims his hopes for his second season with Jaguar: "It will be difficult to do that badly again. If we do that badly again we deserve a
good kicking."
Irv voices his opinion on journalists: "To be honest, journalists have pages to fill and some people fill them better than others. Sometimes,
it's very easy to make a headline by writing things that aren't true and some people go down that route and some people go down the route
of trying to be honest, hardworking and investigate journalists. It doesn't affect me, it's great, I love being in the newspapers, it
makes me more famous."
Irvine proclaims he is No2 in F1: "You know there is no-one in the pit lane that is better than me, except for Michael. I have no doubts about
that."
Irvine denies reports that the Jaguar staff aren't fond of him: "It's such incredible fiction. Honestly, JK Rowling better watch
out. She's got someone else going for the Booker prize."
2002
Irvine claimed third place in Italy. It turned out to be his final F1 podium. Afterwards he said: "It's comforting to know that old farts
like myself can still blow the pants off Formula One's young guns."
Irvine responds to a rather upset David Coulthard: "I didn't call him a fag, I actually said he should stop being a fag and worrying about
what I say."
2003
Irvine announced that the 2002 Japanese Grand Prix was his final F1 race. "It's a sad day. I have decided not to drive in Formula One this
year - or at least at the moment. In July last year I made up my mind to drive for Jordan Grand Prix. I had very strong feelings about returning to
the team which started my F1 career.
Unfortunately, due to the economic downturn, Jordan are forced to look for a driver who brings extra funds to the team whilst I can only bring speed,
reliability and greater experience. It's a shame because I really would have enjoyed the rule changes, especially single-lap qualifying."
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