De la Rosa doesn't feel bad for Burti

De la Rosa will race alongside Eddie Irvine for the Big Cat at next weekend's Spanish Grand Prix after Burti dramatically jumped ship to replace Gaston Mazzacane at Prost on Thursday.

The Spaniard was signed as test driver for Jaguar in February with a guaranteed race seat for 2002, but does not think he helped to push Burti out because the Brazilian wanted to leave.

"I don't feel bad," de la Rosa said, "because it happened to me with Arrows. And anyway Luciano is happy to go and I am happy, so it just makes sense."

Despite constant reassurances from the Jaguar management that his seat with the Milton Keynes-based team was safe until at least the end of the year, Burti was clearly unhappy with the prospect of losing out to de la Rosa in 2002.

The Brazilian carried out testing duties with Jaguar at Silverstone on Wednesday, but had signed a deal with Prost and was behind the wheel of the AP04 by the middle of the afternoon on the following day.

"I tried to put those things [the threat of de la Rosa] at the back of my mind," said Burti, "but it wasn't easy. I'm just so happy now that I can concentrate and that I don't have to think about anything but driving."

Burti completed two laps in the Prost after a frantic seat fitting and an adjustment of the car's pedals. The 25-year-old was unable to set a lap time due to numerous red flags and will not drive the car again until first practice at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona next week.