Irvine: 'We must be doing something well'

After slipping four places at the start he was scrapping for tenth place when he was a victim of Pedro de la Rosa's accident.

It was the end of a sorry day for Jaguar as both cars were sidelined after little more than half a dozen laps.

Teammate Johnny Herbert retired after the first lap with a smoking engine.

Irvine was lucky to escape injury. De la Rosa's car hammered into the barriers tearing both right hand wheels off the car.

"I lifted off to avoid him and spun and then stalled the car," he said.

"It was a shame I finished the way I did.

"It would have been good to have found out where we are. If I had gone on longer or got to the end of the race we would have found out.

"We have not been able to push the car to see if we could have actually finished the race. I am not disappointed.

"There is no magic wand for this. We know the problems we have got but I am not disappointed. I knew what to expect from the first day I drove the car.

"I am not downcast. Remember I was in Ferrari in '96 so I have seen it and done it before. I know what we have got to do.

"It took Ferrari five years to do what they have done today. It might take us longer or we might do it quicker but it is not going to happen overnight.

"We can improve in every area but we must be doing something reasonably well if we can qualify where we did."