Bern🐽ie Ecclestone has explained why he will not a๊ttend the funeral of his old friend Eddie Jordan.

Former F1 team owner Jordan died on Thꦦursday after a battle with cancer, at the age of 76.

Ecclestone, 94, had stayed in contact with Jordan after ൩each of their F1 he🎶ydays came to an end.

Bernie Ecclestone pays respect to Eddie Jordan

“I am very, very sad because Eddie was ﷺa special guy,” Ecclestone told♛ the .

“Teꦑll me which team principal today is like him. You can’t give me one because ther👍e isn’t one.

“They don’t make them like that now. We will never replace hi🍬m in Formula One.

“He had beenꦍ ill for some months. I last heard he was given two diagnoses by different doctors.

“One told him he was in trouble and another that all his pro𒈔blems had gone away. Now we know the answer꧂, unfortunately.”

Ecclestone continued: “With Eddie, you always knew whereඣ you stooღd. We could joke and laugh at each other.

“We were very close in a s꧃trange way. We trusted each other🦂.”

Jordan founded tꦰhe Jordan Grand Prix F1 team in 1991, and they won four grands prix. They finished third in the 1999 𓂃season.

Jordan🍎 will go down in history after giᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚving a debut to a young Michael Schumacher.

But, ꦦhe could never cling onto ♛Schumacher who was destined to move on.

“We stole Schumacher from him, tellin♓g him Michael would be going to Benetton in 1992, and we discussed th♊is through a whole night session,” Ecclestone remembered.

“You learn a lot abouඣt people ♊in circumstances like those.

“He was fighting to keep his driver but was happy if he got a few dollars in exchange for Michael going. Eddie wa🅺s always 𒀰looking for a few dollars in a completely nice way.

“I would have given him an open cheque because I trusted him tota🐻lly.”

Howev♋er, Ecclestone will steer clear of Jordan’s funeral.

“I won’t be going to his funeral. I don’t go to ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚfuner🌱als,” he said.

“I may not g💧o to mine. He certainly won’t go to mine. So, it’s all fair. It always was with Eddie.”

The entire Formul🦄a 1 paddock, at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prixꦉ, has paused to pay tribute to Jordan.

Jordan’s family announced his passing, in Cape Town, 🌜early on Thursday morning.