Lauda Predicts Tough Winter for Jaguar

Jaguar Racing team chief Niki Lauda has predicted a long and hard winter of work for his team after a disappointing end to this season in Japan.

Lauda watched his two drivers Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa fail to finish the Japanese Grand Prix and then set his sights on dedicated development over the close-season for next year.

"It was not a great way to end what has been a succession of good performances," said Lauda. "We have finished this season eighth in the Constructors' Championship and we'll now focus everything we have into next year's challenger. There is clearly a lot of work ahead of us."

De la Rosa retired with an oil leak eight laps from the finish of the Japanese race, but that was after Irvine had been forced out after 24 laps when the team's fuel-rigs refused to work and he could not take on fuel. The non-finishes left Jaguar to settle for eighth in the Championship, and bitterly disappointed as they had hoped to beat Benetton to seventh.

"Everybody at the team is disappointed with a race that should have secured us seventh place," Lauda added. "A lot of time and thought went into this race strategy and everything was going to plan until Eddie's pit-stop."