De la Rosa faces reality at home

De la Rosa and his team-mate Eddie Irvine have low expectations for this weekend's Spanish GP at the Circuit de Catalunya. That is despite the track being F1's favourite venue for testing. The problem is that the Jaguar R3's biggest weakness is its aerodynamics, and the Barcelona circuit is expected to highlight that more than anywhere.

De la Rosa said: "Our aerodynamic team is working very hard towards correcting the problems on the Jaguar R3 and I am confident of seeing the fruits of their labour soon. The next few races will be tough, but rest assured that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

"For a team that only took delivery of its windtunnel last week, we cannot expect miracles overnight - not that there is such a thing as miracles in Formula 1! We have a clear target ahead of us and my aim is to push hard and help the team's development in any way that I can."

Jaguar's new head of aerodynamics, former Renault man Ben Agathangelou, starts work next week, while two more aerodynamicists have also been hired. Dr Mark Gillan and Peter Matchin from McLaren and Arrows respectively will join the team in the next couple of weeks.

Along with the challenges on track, de la Rosa is also preparing for the scrutiny of racing in front of a Spanish crowd. "A home race brings an added pressure to what you would normally experience at other races," he said. "You become very aware of the expectation around you, and while F1 isn't as popular in Spain as motorcycling or the World Rally Championship, the Spanish GP does generate a lot of public interest."