Irvine Hoping Lauda Test is Eye-Opener

Niki Lauda would love to shock his Jaguar Formula One drivers by showing them up in a test later this month.

But Briton Eddie Irvine and Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa expect the 52-year-old team boss to be the one who gets the surprise when the former champion tries out last year's car at Valencia on January 13.

"If I can frighten them, I'd like to do that," Lauda declared playfully at the launch of the new R3 car at the Jaguar factory on Friday, while admitting that it was highly unlikely to happen. Irvine reacted to the idea with typical irreverence and suggested the Austrian could be in better shape.

"We're going to need to put an even smaller steering wheel on to get it past his belly," he grinned when asked about Lauda's plans. "I think it's a good idea in a way, so that he can relate a little bit to what we are talking about," said Irvine, before aiming a further dig at Lauda.

"It's been a long time since he's been in a Formula One car. I've driven cars from his era and it was like driving in a saloon car, you know. They were so easy, it was incredible. I think it'll be an eye-opener for him."

De la Rosa agreed.

"It will be very interesting to see what he does," he said with a knowing smile. "I hope he is not too quick really, he is not very fit so I hope he is not quick enough."

Lauda, three times a World Champion, has claimed that even a monkey could drive a modern Formula One car with all the technical driver aids such as traction control and power steering.

"I said every monkey could drive a Formula One car so I see myself as a monkey too," he declared on Friday.

The Austrian, who retired in 1985, wants to test a modern Formula One car to get an idea of what it is like and to understand better his drivers' feedback. Lauda drove a McLaren two-seater in 2000 and did not rule out eventually driving the new car but he made it clear it would not be for some time.

"I will drive the R2, but I won't drive the R3 because I don't want to be stupid and throw the car into the gravel, be the idiot who destroyed this year's car," he said. "My main target is to understand how these things work and for my understanding the R2 is good enough for that."

Lauda, who took over as Jaguar team boss last year after American Bobby Rahal left, has adopted a no-nonsense and direct approach to the job. Jaguar finished last season in eighth place with nine points, mostly scored by 36-year-old Irvine, but Lauda has targeted a top five overall finish for 2002.