Jaguar Will Fight for Title in Five Years, Says Irvine

The Jaguar team is the only one that will be able to fight Ferrari's and McLaren's hegemony in Formula One, according to Ulsterman Eddie Irvine.

Irvine, who scored four points in Jaguar's debut season after taking over the Stewart Grand Prix in 1999, believes his team will fight for the title within five years.

"I'd say Jaguar are the second biggest team in F1 [behind Ferrari]," he told Autosport. "It's a great, great name and it's a great means to attract the right people.

"There is no team that's going to compete with McLaren or Ferrari over the next five years, apart from Jaguar. BAR might get up there, or Williams, maybe. But if I had to put money on it, it's us."

After leaving Ferrari at the end of 1999, when he fought for the championship until the last race, Irvine admits he has no regrets, despite struggling with the Jaguar during most of the 2000 season.

"I'm really, really happy with the decision," he admitted. "Life's not perfect, but it is as close as I can get to it. There is always room for little tweaks, but overall the set-up's not bad."