Irvine Hopes for Big Step Up Soon

Jaguar are expecting to make significant improvements to their car soon, Eddie Irvine said on Thursday. The Briton added the car used at Sunday's Austrian Formula One Grand Prix would be the same as the one on the track at the last race in Barcelona.

"Cosworth have made good steps forward with the engine but the team really hasn't made such steps forward with the car and I think that's why we are consistently where we are. The next couple of races we have a big step coming. Hopefully that will leapfrog us from where we are," Irvine said.

"We're not going to turn into Ferrari overnight but we have a very significant step coming, or we believe it is a very significant step and it should be interesting to see when that comes."

Jaguar have yet to score a point this season after five races and have not finished higher than eighth place so far. Irvine said the Spanish Grand Prix had given the team probably their best weekend to date and a subsequent test in Valencia was also their best to date.

"We are just chipping away as we always do," said Irvine. "But I think in the last couple of races since (chief race engineer) Mark (Ellis) has joined we have chipped away a little bit faster than we have before."