Eddie keeps his cool as Big Cat leaps up the grid

Eddie Irvine refused to get carried away after setting his best qualifying position of the season on Saturday for the Monaco Grand Prix. The Jaguar driver starts on the third row after qualifying sixth as the team introduced a package of major changes aimed at boosting the performance of the Jaguar R2

May 26, 2001, 2:04 PM

It is his best performance this season by far - his previous best being 12th in Australia and Malaysia - as the team struggle with this year's car.

"It is a step in the right direction, but nothing more than that," said Irvine, who is yet to register a world championship point this season. "I am happy for today, but tomorrow is a completely different day, so there is not too much to say about it really."

Irvine went on to add that he believes Jaguar are still running the risk of falling even further off the pace of Formula 1's front-runners.

"The guys are working flat out, but we need to get more guys so we can optimise things. The big teams have new things coming at every race and that is what we need because at the moment we are running the danger of falling backwards," he said. "We are working on everything, but there is still so much to do."

For full qualifying results click here.