A quintessentially British institution was filled yesterday with the plaintive notes of the uileann pipes. It was the owner's way of putting his personal stamp on the launch of the Benson and Hedges Jordan MugenHonda 198, at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Overall, it made quite a change from the modest gatherings I remember for earlier launches at Eddie Jordan's Silverstone factory. A 20minute spectacular display of acrobatics from the French Cirque de Soleil ended with the new, yellow-liveried car being lowered on a platform from 50 feet above the assembled media of 600.

Bearing a hornet on its nose - "ready to sting the big boys!" - the car represented a triumph for the engineering skills of Jordan designer Gary Anderson, who was forced at short notice to adapt to the most radical technical rule changes for 15 years.

Federation Internationale Automobile (FIA), the sport's ruling body, believed that cornering speeds had become dangerously fast. As a consequence, grooved tyres and reduced down-force will mean less adhesion, forcing drivers to slow down. There has also been a narrowing of the chassis from two metres to 1.8 metres, while changes have been made to the side pods so as to withstand the increased loads of the revised FIA side-impact test.

"In the interest of safety, it came down to a choice between changing the circuits or changing the cars," said Anderson. "Obviously, it's very much cheaper to change the cars."

The scale of yesterday's operation emphasised the remarkable resilience of Jordan. Since breaking into the ridiculously-expensive world of grand prix racing, he would solemnly proclaim each new season as "a makeor-break year in which I've got to deliver."

Seven years on and still without a grand prix victory, his latest coup has been to land the 1996 world champion Damon Hill and get a works engine deal for MugenHonda. Certainly, there was no hiding Jordan's delight at the presence of Hill on the launch platform, standing close to Hirotoshi Honda, whose father founded the Japanese giant.

Hill forms a driving partnership with 22-year-old Ralf Schumacher, whose older brother Michael raised a storm of controversy by deliberately crashing into champion-elect Jacques Villeneuve during the European Grand Prix in Jerez last October. Since then, Hill has been strongly critical of the Ferrari driver, though he doesn't anticipate any problems with the younger brother.

"Everything should be fine with Ralf," he said. "Nobody wants to beat Michael more than he does (broad smile). That should make us a good team. I think we're going to be in the shake-up, but I expect to have a clearer picture when I get my hands on the car."

Jordan's expectations are high. "We're paying him (Hill) more than a full season cost us in 1991," he said of a reported £10 million, twoyear deal with the Killiney-based driver. Then, employing a musical analogy, he went on: "He's the most expensive lead guitarist in the world. And far better guitarists than him have played here."

Hill, whose wife Georgie is expecting their fourth child any day now, took it all with the quiet, self-satisfied grin of a man confident of his worth. But repeated references to cash clearly irritate him. "I'm fed up with all this stuff about me being only interested in money," he said. "The truth is that I'm the least materialistic driver around."

He also had strong views on the declared Jordan policy of having no team orders. In other words, each of the two drivers has the freedom to win, if he can. "To win in Formula One, it is very likely you will have to race against Michael Schumacher," he said. "That means getting the full support of the team, which Michael could count on at Benetton and now with Ferrari."

But Jordan insisted that no driver could be bigger than the team. "Obviously, things would change if a world title were at stake," he said. "Otherwise, I stand by the assurance of equal standing in our line-up, which I gave Ralf when he joined us 18 months ago."

With Hill, Jordan is largely buying the experience of 21 grand prix victories. But the Englishman has yet to drive the new car. In fact, he hasn't been behind the wheel of a grand prix car since Jerez where he completed an ill-fated contract with the Arrows team.

All that is to change, however, when the new Jordan is put through its paces in Barcelona tomorrow and Thursday. Said the Englishman: "I was told I'd never make it in Formula One because I was too old. Now, my ambition is to give Jordan their first win in Formula One."

Could he regain the World Championship in a Jordan? "I believe we have a real chance of winning races," he replied. "Winning the championship is an entirely different matter, however, given the strength of the top teams."

Jordan created a vacancy for Hill by collecting $3 million in compensation from Benetton for Giancarlo Fisichella. And his trading skills previously brought him $4 million from Ferrari for Eddie Irvine and undisclosed amounts for the contacts of Michael Schumacher and Jean Alesi.

So, however expensive it may be, the Hill contract is unlikely to see him strapped for cash. "Selling drivers has kept us in business," he admitted.

The deal with MugenHonda comes with a hugely-impressive pedigree. As a strictly works team, Honda powered Nelson Piquet to the world championship in a Williams in 1987 before a highly-productive link with McLaren brought the title to Ayrton Senna in 1988, Alain Prost the following year and Senna again in 1990 and 1991.

That was the time when the 1.5 litre V6 turbo-charged unit could develop an astonishing 1,200 bhp. Since then, we have had the emergence of Mugen as a subsidiary of Honda, specialising in engine development and it is interesting to note that the normally aspirated 3.0 litre V10 unit in the Jordan, develops a relatively modest 670 bph.

Jordan's prospects this season will hinge on the skill of Anderson, a native of Coleraine. "We have made big strides in the last two years and I believe we can continue to close the gap on the other teams," he said. "For me, being competitive this year means being on the front row of the grid. I would expect to see us on the third row only if things are not going so well."

Meanwhile, by way of cementing their partnership, Hill informed Ralf Schumacher that the prince who lent his name to the Albert Hall was a German. And Hirotoshi Honda gently rebuked Jordan for wearing a Ferrari watch.

All that and a French circus - definitely one of the better Jordan productions.