The 199 was a developed evolution of the Jordan 198 — the car that had given Eddie Jordan's team its first ever Grand Prix win at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix. Gascoyne and his assistant Tim Holloway significantly improved the aerodynamics through extensive wind-tunnel work. The technical package comprised a mid-mounted Mugen-Honda MF-301HD 3.0-litre V10 engine, Elf fuel and lubricants, Penske shock absorbers, Brembo carbon disc brakes, Bridgestone tyres, and Jordan's own six-speed sequential semi-automatic gearbox.
The driver line-up paired 1996 World Champion Damon Hill — who had scored the team's maiden win the year before — with Heinz-Harald Frentzen, acquired from Williams in a swap for Ralf Schumacher.
Jordan retained the distinctive yellow-and-black hornet theme for 1999, updating the livery with revised hornet stripes along the rear bodywork. Benson & Hedges branding appeared at most rounds, replaced by the "Buzzin' Hornets" motif at the French, British, and Belgian Grands Prix to comply with tobacco-advertising restrictions.
Frentzen's season was consistently strong. He opened with second place in Australia, added further podiums in Brazil, Germany, and Belgium, and delivered two victories that proved the highlights of the campaign. At the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, Frentzen profited from late retirements to inherit the lead and convert it for his and Jordan's second career win. At Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, Häkkinen's spin from the lead on lap 30 gifted Frentzen the front position, which he held through the pit stops to win despite late pressure.
His strongest title chance came at the Nürburgring for the European Grand Prix, where he took pole position — his first for Jordan — and led comfortably until an electrical failure eliminated him on lap 33 with ten points gone up in smoke. At that point he was only 12 points behind championship leader Mika Häkkinen with two races remaining, but a sixth place in Malaysia and fourth at the Japanese finale left him third in the final standings.
Hill, by contrast, was comprehensively outpaced throughout the year and announced his retirement during the season. He scored seven points to Frentzen's 54, contributing to the team's total of 61 that secured third in the Constructors' Championship — the best finish in Jordan Grand Prix's history.
The 199 marked the peak of Jordan Grand Prix's competitive trajectory. The team never again challenged at the same level: its successor, the EJ10, scored only 17 points in 2000 and fell to sixth in the Constructors' standings. For Frentzen, the 1999 season remained the zenith of his Formula One career. The 199 is remembered as the car that demonstrated the Irish constructor could be genuinely competitive against Ferrari and McLaren, and as the platform that gave Frentzen his only realistic crack at a world title.