Jaguar Encouraged by 'Impressive' Performance

The Jaguar team were encouraged after finishing in the points for the second time this season at today's Belgian Grand Prix.

Benefitting from a revised front suspension in their Cosworth-powered R3B, Briton Eddie Irvine finished in sixth place to secure a rare point for Jaguar in a season of struggle and leave them just one adrift of British American Racing (BAR) in the battle for seventh place.

"A very impressive all-round performance, especially from Eddie," said team boss Niki Lauda. "We have been encouraged all weekend with the performance of the Jaguar R3 and combined with great support from Michelin, the package has rewarded us all with a Championship point.

"I am delighted by the conclusion to this race weekend and it's just reward for the very hard work that is going into this programme by everyone back at Milton Keynes. We have three races left on the calendar and we will now aim to take full advantage from what we have learned this weekend."

Irishman Irvine, who had scored the first points for the Milton Keynes team this season when he finished fourth in Australia, said he was looking forward to more strong performances in the remaining three races of the year.

"It wasn't the most exciting race I have ever had, but it just highlights the importance of qualifying well," said Irvine. "Our race pace was very good and very comparable to Williams and McLaren over the 44 laps of this race.

"The next three races should be interesting and I am particularly looking forward to Monza and Suzuka where we hope to demonstrate a similar level of performance."

Spaniar Pedro de la Rosa failed to finish the race, retiring with a suspension failure on lap 38.