Brawn: Jaguar Could Have been British Ferrari

Departing Jaguar could have been Britain's answer to Ferrari had they succeeded in Formula One, according to the Italian team's technical director Ross Brawn.

Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix will be Jaguar's farewell after five underachieving seasons in which the Ford-owned team have taken only two third places and no wins from 84 races.

Ford announced last month they were quitting Formula One and selling their Milton Keynes-based team and engine manufacturer Cosworth. A buyer has yet to be announced for either.

Briton Brawn, who worked for Jaguar in their sportscar programme in the late 1980s and early 1990s, mourned their passing.

"They had a lot of tradition at Le Mans and perhaps that is where they were at their strongest," he said. "I don't think Jaguar and Formula One really worked.

"It is a shame to see them go. If I put my other hat on as a Brit...(they) could have been a very strong national team doing well," he added.

"I've seen the spirit Ferrari creates in Italy and it is fantastic and if that had been created by Jaguar in Britain it would have been quite an achievement.

Green Shirts

"But I don't think they have been able to make a success of their Formula One programme for whatever reason."

Jaguar arrived in Formula One in 2000 with two British drivers, Eddie Irvine and Johnny Herbert, after taking over the team of former champion Jackie Stewart. The Scot had envisaged Jaguar attracting an army of British Racing Green-shirted fans to match Ferrari's red sea of supporters.

"We could give everybody green hats or green T-shirts...but the passion of Ferrari is that everybody has bought their red hats and flags. We've got to earn that by winning races and championships," he said at the time.

It never happened. Jaguar are seventh in the Championship with 10 points, equalling their best end-of-season placing. In five years, they have totalled 49 points while spending hundreds of millions of dollars.

"It is obviously sad for all the guys that have put a great effort in," said Toyota technical director Mike Gascoyne, another Briton. "You look at the great names that have disappeared from Formula One like Lotus, Tyrrell and Brabham and you'd have said 'how will Formula One survive?' and it has.

"It is just a fact of life," he said.