Lauda Looking Forward to Jaguar Test

Jaguar Racing boss Niki Lauda is looking forward to his test run with the new Cosworth-powered R3 in order to see the differences between the current Formula One cars and the ones he drove back in the eighties.

52-year old Lauda, a three-time World Champion, will test last year's Jaguar on January 13 at the Valencia circuit in Spain, returning to the wheel of a single-seater Formula One car for the first time since he retired in 1985, only one year after clinching his third title.

"I've said that any monkey could drive a modern F1 car so I think monkey say, monkey do," Lauda joked during the launch of the new Jaguar, referring to the comments made by him last season. "These cars have different engine characteristics, traction control and different engine performance.

"I want to understand this so I can understand what the drivers are talking about. I haven't driven an F1 car since 1985 so it will be interesting to see what has changed."

Wolfgang Reitzle, chief executive of Ford's Premier Automotive Group, and Ford group vice-president for product development Richard Parry-Jones are also expected to have a chance to drive the car.