Jaguar mystified by performance

And his frustration at their dismal showing was shared by the entire team.

Irvine starts 17th and Herbert 19th for the Indianapolis race - only when Luciano Burti deputised for Irvine in Austria have the team done worse.

The event is also a valuable stage for Herbert to show what he is capable of as he attempts to cross the Atlantic to Champcar racing next year.

"It was the worst showing by us all year long. It's very poor," he said.

"I wish I knew what the problem was then I would fix it. We've got to get the engine and the car better. It is very difficult to get the car to handle correctly.

"The bottom line is we are just not quick enough.

"I made a mistake on my best lap which cost me about three-tenths and then got yellow flags on my last run. Eddie and I are really close together - but unfortunately at the wrong end of the grid. I guess if I was to start the race in the same direction as the Indy 500 - the opposite direction to the way we run - we'd be in much better shape."

Frustrated Irvine added: "I suppose we just have to put down these two days to another stage in our learning experience. I just couldn't seem to find any more time out of the car.

Technical director Gary Anderson said: "All we can look forward to is a wet race and lots of activity at the first corner. We were certainly hoping to put in a much better show that we did."