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Simon Parry

After 10 years with the Formula One ace, Maria Drummond prefers quiet days in Macau with daughter Zoe

When the Formula One season roars into action in Australia today, a mother and daughter in Macau whose lives are profoundly intertwined with the glamorous sport will keep  their television set switched off.

Maria Drummond is the former lover of multimillionaire racing driver Eddie Irvine. The couple and their daughter Zoe, now seven, used to travel the world during his 1990s heydays, shared homes in Japan and England, and holidayed on his luxury yacht.

But after nearly 10 years together, they separated and, while Irvine  enjoys a playboy lifestyle, Drummond  has brought Zoe back to her native Macau, determined to let her daughter enjoy a normal childhood away from the Formula One circus she grew to hate.

The quiet life she now leads, working in Macau's municipal finance offices where even long-term civil servants struggle to reach a salary of 15,000 patacas, could hardly be a greater contrast to life in the fast lane with Irvine.

The 38-year-old works in a plain office one floor above the counters where businesspeople and residents pay their taxes. She keeps her glamorous past a secret. Asked about her  lifestyle, she said: 'I work because I want to, not because I have to.'

Irishman Irvine,  also 38, who quit Formula One racing last year after amassing a fortune,  has assured  her that their daughter will always be well provided for.

He flew them  to Florida to spend Christmas and New Year with him and his parents. 'We had a wonderful time - everyone [in Irvine's family] was there,' she said.

Later this month, Irvine and his parents will fly to Macau to join them for Zoe's eighth birthday. 'Zoe has made a Valentine's card for her daddy, but she's saving it for when he comes to Macau,' Drummond  said. 'She can't post it to him because he's always moving around. He's never at one address.'

Irvine met Drummond - then a 22 year old civil servant - in 1988 when he was a novice driver taking part in Macau Formula Three racing. They were friends for a year before their relationship blossomed.

Refusing to be carried away with the racing lifestyle she was always uncomfortable with, she stayed in Macau as Irvine's Formula One career took off. She only gave up her job in 1998 when Zoe was two.

'I went to live with Eddie in Japan but it didn't work out,' she said. 'Everybody wanted a part of him and I felt I was in the way. I didn't want him to worry about me and doing his job at the same time.'

Their relationship was strained by the Formula One hangers-on who buzzed around Irvine.  'I couldn't stand some of them,' she said. 'I never liked the [Formula One] scene. It was all so false.'

Drummond returned to Macau in 1999 shortly before news of Irvine's daughter first became public  following the release of his autobiography. She was initially angry about his revelation, as she wanted to keep their relationship secret to protect Zoe.

Despite the split, Drummond said she had remained friends with Irvine and he had never lost touch with his daughter, who goes to a private school in Macau where she is taught English and Mandarin.

'Eddie absolutely adores her,' she said.  'He phones her every week, all the time, wherever he is in the world.'

At times, Irvine calls late in the evening because of the time differences and Zoe sometimes has to end the conversations because she is so tired. 'She'll yawn and say to him, 'Daddy, I'm sleepy', or 'Daddy, I'm doing my homework.'

'As far as Zoe is concerned, Eddie is her daddy, not a racing driver. She saw him on TV once and said, 'Mummy, why is daddy on TV?' and I told her, 'Because he's famous - he's a celebrity'. She answered, 'He's just my daddy'.'

Drummond said she decided to stay in Macau after  the split because she was concerned about the effect the globe-trotting lifestyle was having on her daughter.

'I wanted Zoe to grow up like a normal girl. I didn't want her to grow up spoiled, and it's worked. She's very down-to-earth,' she said. 'When Zoe was young, we were always going from one place to another. Zoe used to think her grandparents lived in an airport because we'd always meet up with them in airports before flying on somewhere.'

Drummond has remained single since her split with the Formula One ace. 'I don't have anyone else in my life at the moment. I don't have the time, looking after a young daughter.'

She agrees her existence in Macau is quiet after her years with Irvine but, looking relaxed and happy, said: 'That's exactly how I like it.'



Life after the fast lane with Eddie Irvine