MARCH 31, 2002

Jaguar Racing fighting back

IT has not been an easy time for Jaguar Racing but in Brazil, with a little help from Michelin tires, the cars were much more competitive with Pedro de la Rosa 11th and Eddie Irvine 13th.

But not all the progress can be put down to tires. The team's engineering team have been working day and night to improve the R3 and while most of these changes have been "quick fixes" the planning is now in place for a major aerodynamic development program in the months ahead. The team's first move is to take the existing car to Lurcy-Levis to establish aerodynamic data and compare this to results coming from the new windtunnel in Brackley if these correlate the team will then attack a major new package which should be ready by July or August.

The morale within the team is getting better with good reports coming out about the effect of Gunther Steiner's management. There remain some stresses and strains within the technical management as the team now has a Head of Aerodynamics and a Chief Aerodynamicist - a combination of jobs which is unlikely to survive for very long. There are suggestions that once new signing Ben Agathangelou arrives, Mark Handford's position may become untenable but at the moment he is working on the development of the car.

Sources say that the team has already signed another top name aerodynamicist and that an announcement will be made in the next couple of weeks.

Niki Lauda, in the meantime, is concentrating on dealing with the political issues with the Ford Motor Company leaving his recruits to sort out the team.