Grapevine: Stewart Rubbishes Talk of Replacing Lauda

Jackie Stewart has rubbished suggestions that he will replace Niki Lauda as the team principal of the struggling Jaguar team.

Former World Champion Stewart sold his Formula One operation to Ford and it was rebranded Jaguar Racing for the 2000 season. He stayed on for Jaguar's first season in the sport, before being replaced by American Bobby Rahal, who in turn was ousted in favour of Lauda.

Stewart agreed earlier this year to stay on as a commercial consultant for Jaguar, but the Scot has ruled out the possibility of replacing under-pressure Lauda at the head of the Milton Keynes-based team.

"I have renewed a contract and part of that is related to being on the board of Jaguar Racing and helping them with the commercial side," Stewart told Autosport magazine. "I am not involved in the day-to-day running of the team and never have been.

"There is no real change. In my opinion, there can only be one boss and that boss is Niki Lauda."

Jaguar have failed to make an impression on the sport in the two-and-a-half seasons to date, and Ulsterman Eddie Irvine scored their only points this season with a lucky fourth-place finish in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.