Irvine says Jaguar much better than it seems

Team mate Johnny Herbert's race was hijacked by gearbox problems after just 20 laps, while Irvine finished 13th. He was forced to make a lengthy pit stop to fix a wheel nut and then had to pit an extra time after a fuel rig malfunction had given him the wrong amount of fuel.

"We can't continue to qualify in the top six and walk away empty-handed," said Irvine. "It's another chance missed.

"I had a pretty good start initially which is encouraging given our recent clutch problems. It's a shame I was so far back because I could have mixed it for the points.

"I still maintain our sixth place (in qualifying) is an accurate reflection of where we stand. The work to build Jaguar is ongoing and refining a number of elements of the team will take time."

Irvine's strong qualifying performance came just a day after Jackie Stewart had criticised the Ulsterman for an alleged lack of commitment to his job.