Surprised Lauda Criticises Ford

Niki Lauda has criticised Jaguar Racing's owners Ford after he was forced to step down from his position as team principal of the team and head of the auto giant's Premier Performance Division.

Richard Parry-Jones, head of Ford's Formula One programme, announced the move during a press conference in London today, revealing that three-time World Champion Lauda would be replaced at the head of PPD by Tony Purnell, chief executive of Pi Electronics, a part of the Premier Performance Division.

Parry-Jones said they would name Lauda's replacement as Jaguar's boss as soon as possible, and revealed they had offered the Austrian to stay as an advisor. Lauda said he was surprised by the decision and admitted he would have to think about Ford's offer.

"Honestly, the decision did surprise me - there was no criticism of the way I work, or whatever," Lauda told Austrian radio. "But what you've got to know is that in England things work differently. Britons do have their unique way of solving problems.

"They saw away at the legs of a chair - nobody talks about anything because they of course all stick together - until they get what they want. I was always aware that that's how it works here - and now it's happened. I am neither an engineer nor an Englishman and that's why it's easy for me to accept (being replaced).

"I've now got to consider whether to accept their offer of continuing to work for Ford."

Despite Lauda's exit from the team, Parry-Jones said that Lauda had not failed in his job, but that the former driver lacked the required technical knowledge to make Jaguar succeed.

"I would not agree that Niki has failed in any way, but the most important thing (in Formula One) by a large margin is technical depth and Niki, for whom I have enormous respect, does not have that technical depth," said Parry-Jones earlier today.

"We have to build a system of teamwork. I am now trying to build something here that depends less on hero figures."