Jaguar Worried by the 'Spending Race'

Jaguar Racing boss Tony Purnell believes Formula One must re-think itself and has warned that the sport must rid itself of budget-related racing if it wants to retain all seven current manufacturers in the long-term.

As big-budget Ferrari shot to another one-two in the European Grand Prix on Sunday, Australian Mark Webber drove around in the background to secure Jaguar's best result of the season in seventh.

Purnell is concerned that it is clear to top-level manufacturer bosses that no team can compete at the front with smaller budgets and suggested that some may quit the sport if the costs continue to spiral out of control.

"Formula One needs to give people involved a reason for thinking it is going to sort itself out," warned Purnell. "Otherwise we only need one rule - he who spends the most money wins!

"We have a set of rules that allow competition and stop it being a spending race. The races are not very good at the moment and the rules have allowed the spending to get out of control.

"It is very important to us that it is not a spending race because we are not interested in that and I think it is an insult to the people who buy your products. We need to re-invent it a little bit.

"We need to get the rules back in place then it can go back to what it was in the past, which is brilliant. Formula One is a fantastic sporting event and it still is. It just needs a little refresh."

Jaguar's performances are currently doing the company name little good as they currently stand eighth in the championship on three points. They are just one point ahead of privateer team Jordan at the foot of the table.

Sponsors HSBC admitted last week that they are not impressed by the team's results and hinted that, while the association has been a success in raising the bank's profile, it may soon be time to end the deal.

Purnell insisted the future of the small team is not in question, however, and said the timing of their points-scoring finish, just before they head off to the homeland of team owners Ford, was ideal.

"Everybody knows that it is at this time of the year when you do the deals for next year," said Purnell. "It is very nice to go into the next two months with some evidence that this is a good little team."