Edmund "Eddie" Irvine, Jr. (born 10 November 1965) is a retired British racing driver from Northern Ireland. He was the runner-up in 1999 Formula One World Drivers' Championship, driving for Ferrari.Irvine was influenced by his parents to enter motor racing. He began his career at the age of seventeen when he entered the Formula Ford Championship achieving early success, before progressing to the Formula Three and Formula 3000 Championships.