Irvine eyes second helping of points
Eddie Irvine says he has a "strong claim" on securing a rare helping of points on Sunday after qualifying seventh for the Malaysian Grand Prix
The Ulsterman admitted caution was all that cost him an even higher place on the third row of the grid in his improving Jaguar R1.
"My target was fifth on the grid, so I'm frustrated to fall narrowly short," he said after missing out by less than a tenth of a second. "I messed up the first two runs and then could have nailed it on the last run, but I backed off slightly at the last corner because I was conscious of keeping it all together.
"Ultimately that cost me fifth place, but I have a strong claim on points in the race, which would be a great way to end the season."
A year after he came to the final race battling for the world championship, Irvine has scored just three points and been in the top six once - from fourth place at Monaco in June - and is 13th in the drivers' championship.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
How Senna's infamous punch inadvertently launched Irvine's F1 career
The day Irvine showed he was more than Schumacher's subordinate
Irvine: 'I can't see anyone beating Vettel'
The pointed note that starts Ferrari's Leclerc vs Sainz era
Albon: No point 'wallowing about' over lost Red Bull F1 place
The small change that will be F1 2021's big talking point
Acosta: MotoGP paddock 'needs more people like Kevin Schwantz'
What is the cooldown room in F1? All you need to know about the procedure
Bottas: Permanent fix for Sauber F1 pitstop woes "by Imola"
Quartararo: Marquez's Honda MotoGP exit "woke a lot of people up" at Yamaha
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
What's been going wrong for Leclerc in F1's tiny margins qualifying game
What the Chinese GP's highlights reveal about its first F1 race for five years
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments