Grapevine: Jaguar Sure to Sparkle in Monaco

Jaguar are sure to sparkle in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix after embedding more than a million dollars worth of diamonds in their Formula One cars.

Each of the Ford-owned team's four cars has a cut gem, measuring about a centimetre across, positioned in the nose cone as part of a one-off sponsorship deal for the glamour highlight of the season.

Jaguar will run a third car in Thursday's free practice and teams usually bring an extra car to the Mediterranean principality because of the risk of accidents in a tight and twisty street circuit hemmed in by unforgiving barriers.

Team sources said the gems were insured for more than a million pounds. There was also a 'bag of spares' in case any were lost in crashes.

"Fans won't just be looking for bits of rubber on the track this year if that happens," said one team member.

Jaguar also expect to outdo their rivals in the glamour stakes after tying up another deal with Hollywood producer Jerry Weintraub to promote his 'Ocean's 12' movie scheduled for release in December.

The team will carry branding for the film on the cars, mechanics' overalls and shirts.

Members of the cast - including George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt with his non-starring wife Jennifer Aniston - are expected to attend with the nearby Cannes film festival coinciding with the Grand Prix.

The race is unlikely to see a Jaguar setting the pace, however, with the team having just one point from five starts this year. Australian driver Mark Webber, who scored that point in Bahrain, rated the team's chances as "no better than our other races that we have been to.

"We have clearly missed a few points opportunities," he told a news conference on Wednesday. "You know, Barcelona wasn't a good weekend for us in the race, we should have got some points in Imola and Malaysia and Australia but we didn't.

"Hopefully we can just be where we have always been, fighting on the fringes of the points if we can."