Scheckter ready for back-seat management role

Scheckter Sr steered his son to the Opel Euroseries title in 1999 and to the runner-up spot in the British Formula 3 Championship last year. For 2001, Scheckter Jr will race in Spain's Formula Nissan as well as testing for Jaguar, but his father has decided that the next step must be taken with an independent manager onboard.

"I believe I need to get someone else to manage him," said the 1979 world title-winner. "The problem is that when I say how good he is, they think it's just the father talking."

Scheckter says the decision on who manages him will be Tomas's alone, but has his views on who can get the job done.

"You just need to look at what Jenson Button's management team [David Robertson, Steve Robertson and Harald Huysman] has done, getting both him and Kimi Raikkonen into Formula 1. You have to say Keke Rosberg's good as well, but it will be up to Tomas to select someone - he's got to do it himself. I've taken him as far as I can."

The 20-year-old agrees with his father, saying: "Whatever happens, I'll always take his advice and listen to his opinions, but I know I have to do this myself."

Scheckter's testing role with Jaguar appeared compromised when the team lured former Arrows driver Pedro de la Rosa away from a potential testing role with Prost.

Speaking at the Jaguar launch in January, Scheckter said he regarded his test role with Jaguar as purely a one-year deal and his aim for 2002 was a race seat. But the Spaniard, who has two seasons of F1 under his belt, has been guaranteed a 2002 race seat by team boss Bobby Rahal. Scheckter Sr, however, says it's a decision he agrees with.

"I don't disagree with de la Rosa being signed," he said, "because he has the experience and I would have probably done the same. But Tomas should still have his own contribution. Obviously he's contracted to get a certain amount of time in the car, and I hope he gets it."

Tomas added: "I've got no regrets. It was a surprise in a way that they signed de la Rosa, but they did it for a reason, because they needed someone with experience. But as long as I get my time in a car, I don't see it as a problem."