Eddie Jordan today travels to Tokyo where he will have discussions with new engine supplier Mugen Honda and, it is believed, Bridgestone, prior to Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix at the Honda owned Suzuka circuit.
Mugen Honda will be announcing more details of their agreement with Jordan over the weekend but this is unlikely to go as far as putting a date on the fully factory supported Honda effort. The earliest this was expected to happen was 1999 but the recent announcement that BMW will supply engines to Williams could spur Honda to return to F1 with a full blown works effort earlier than planned.
On tyres, Jordan and McLaren are both in discussions with Bridgestone. Bridgestone have had a splendid debut season in F1 and have wiped Goodyear out in IndyCar this year, under the Firestone brand. Despite the fact that Bridgestone supplies tyres to Honda road cars and the two normally race as a package there are obstacles to the deal in Jordan's way.
"We have a contract with Goodyear for next year and there is a high penalty for a change - and there are other complications," he said. Should Jordan not be able to run Bridgestones until 1999, he will be anxious that none of the other big teams, particularly McLaren, sign up for next year and gain the perceived advantage from the Japanese tyres.
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