Irvine realistic about Jag's leap forward

Asked whether his jump into the top 10 was an accurate reflection of the revised R3 or whether the car had been flattered by a very strong Michelin tyre in France, Irvine replied: "It's a bit of everything. We've improved the set-up and the tyres have given us an advantage. The circuit being smooth has probably helped us a little as well.

"Compared to Silverstone there's three to four tenths in the tyres. Silverstone could not show the potential of the car. We under-performed in qualifying there. We ran out of time and had to do the last run with too little downforce. We had the potential there to qualify in the top 14 or maybe even better. The tyre has enabled us to get the 0.3s to jump that group.

"In the Monza test the car was a lot better. We really got it together and for pure balance it was the best car I'd ever had there. The engine is the least of our worries. I think its right up there. From what I know from Ferrari, they've got a little more power but not really that much. But we've still got more to do with the car," he added.

As regards his future at Jaguar, or elsewhere, Irvine would not be drawn.

"We're nowhere near fixing all the problems we've got here," he added, "and it's way too early to say. I don't really know what my options are. You just keep working away, trying to do a good job. If you do, you get a drive, if you don't, Ciao..."