I came second in the F1 World Championship and partnered Michael Schumacher at Ferrari, now I develop family housing

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER’S former Ferrari team-mate now develops family housing in Northern Ireland.

Eddie Irvine partnered the legendary Formula One driver at Ferrari for four seasons from 1996 to 1999.

During that time, Irvine also achieved his best Drivers’ Championship finish of second place behind Mika Hakkinen in 1999.

The Northern Irishman also drove for Jordan and Jaguar during a nine-year F1 career, claiming four wins from his 145 race starts.

He has gone on to swap the race track for building houses, though, in the two decades since his retirement in 2002.

Irvine has since forged a successful career in property in both Miami, Florida and his native Northern Ireland.

The 57-year-old first entered the property market by investing during his motorsport career.

He benefited from a market boom after buying houses in Northern Ireland during the 1990s.

Three decades on from his F1 debut, he now develops mid-market family housing in Northern Ireland, describing it as “a good, solid steady business” in 2018.

Irvine told : “Northern Ireland is still cheap. The recession has lasted a long time there. It’s starting to pick up now – we are finally increasing our prices.”

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Meanwhile, he has focussed on the luxury housing market in Miami and has been equally successful.

The retired driver puts his success in Florida down to the demand for high-end homes and rapid house pricing.

“What’s happened there has been incredible,” he added. “But then Miami is incredible.

“The houses I build in Miami, I build them as if I would live in them.”