Monday November 15th, 1999

In his new biography released this week, "Life in the Fast Lane," Eddie Irvine talks for the first time about his 3 year old girl, Zoe. Rumours about Irvine's fatherhood began surfacing earlier this year, but until now Irvine has never acknowledged publicly that he is a father.

In his book, co-authored by Jane Nottage, Irvine says that Zoe is the best thing that ever happened to him. "I'm not a natural lover of babies, I hate the mess, and most of all I hate the noise," he writes. "But Zoe is mega! We've had a laugh, played on my boat and in the sea, and generally we've just hung out together. She's not a difficult child at all, she's a great kid and loves her bed - just like me!"

Zoe's mother is Maria Drummond, half-Chinese and with Scottish ancestors. They met in Macau when Irvine was racing there, before his days in Formula One. "Maria is great, and wonderful with Zoe, and I suppose you could say I'm still in love with her. Zoe is the bond which keeps us close, and that will always be the case," Irvine says about her.

"My parents treat Maria like a daughter, and ideally I would like her to live in Northern Ireland, close to my Mum and Dad. I think that would work really well, but we have to see. It's Maria's decision, and that's right that it should be," he said.