Jaguar in No Rush to Hire Sporting Director

Jaguar are in no rush to hire a new sporting director following the exit of Austrian Niki Lauda at the end of last year, according to Tony Purnell, the man who replaced the three-time World Champion at the helm of Ford's Premier Performance Division.

"I'm not feeling any great need to rushing into getting a Sporting Director and I'm not sure there's a huge need at all," Purnell was quoted as saying on Jaguar's official website. "But we'll wait until the racing starts and might re-arrange accordingly.

"What I want from a Sporting Director is somebody to work with the commercial partners, the media and other external stakeholders. If we find the right bloke we'll go with it but if we don't find the right bloke I'm not going to hire him as I don't think it's so important.

"I have absolutely no intention at present to offer any driver the opportunity to 'run the team' as it were. What's important within a team is competent leaders who know where they're going and I think we have that."

The Milton Keynes-based outfit underwent a major organisational reshuffle at the end of 2002 following another disappointing season in which they scored only eight points and finished in seventh place in the Constructors' Championship.

Jaguar have approached former racers Martin Brundle and John Watson, but the Ford-owned team have been unable to reach an agreement with either of them.