 Lauda Praises Irvine after 'Perfect' Drive Sunday September 15th, 2002
After a troubled season, Jaguar are starting to look competitive. They have modified most of the changeable parts of the Cosworth-powered R3 car, and Austrian Lauda was delighted to see their hard work pay dividends. "Eddie drove a great race," said Lauda. "He did a perfect job, didn't make any mistakes, and it was a great weekend for the team. We have all been working for a long time to achieve this. Everyone has worked for eight months, day and night, and it is a terrific effort by all the staff and people at Jaguar and Cosworth. "Everyone can take pride. The car at the beginning of the year was terrible and we knew that we were competing for positions with Minardi at the back of the grid - but we have changed everything." Lauda is now looking towards the remaining two races, in the United States and Japan, with high expectations because the tracks should allow the 'new' R3 car to continue its impressive performance. "We have to carry on," said Lauda. "We want to carry on and be competitive in the last two races of the year. They are both low downforce circuits and they seem to suit us." But with the continued push for improvement in performance, right up to the end of the year and into 2003, Lauda is refusing to be pushed into a driver decision until he is ready. "It is not time for that," he said, speaking to reporters after the race. "It is not time to confirm anything with the drivers. We need to be competitive then we will talk about the drivers." Although Irvine continues to insist he is not talking to anyone about a drive next season, he is understood to be competing with Australian Mark Webber for a place at either Jaguar or Jordan, both Ford-backed teams. The team will have a brand new 90-degree engine from Cosworth next year, due to be tested in the car for the first time in November.
Published at 17:10:12 GMT
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Jaguar boss Niki Lauda said he was delighted with Eddie Irvine's performance in the Italian Grand Prix, which saw him claim the team's first podium place since the Monaco Grand Prix last year.
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