Webber: Jaguar Hampered by Short Budget

Australian Mark Webber believes his Jaguar team need a bigger budget in order to be able to challenge the top teams in Formula One.

"The car has good potential, but we suffer money-wise," Webber said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. "We don't have enough resources and to find more is not easy at all. Excellent people work at Jaguar, but the budget is limited.

"How much more would we need? It's hard to quantify it: even the Williams team complains they don't have enough money, so what should we say?"

Jaguar, owned by carmaker Ford, finished in seventh place in last season's Constructors' Championship, with Webber scoring all but one of the team's 18 points. The Australian, who will be partnered by Austrian Christian Klien in 2004, says Jaguar should keep their feet on the ground and forget about fighting for regular podium finishes next season.

"Ferrari, Williams and McLaren are still too far ahead for us, and even Renault is now out of our reach," Webber added. "So we should immediately get all those dreams out of our heads, including those of podiums every once in a while, and let's just concentrate on trying to get points. If no more money is coming in, we won't be able to do anymore than that."

Webber impressed with his speed in 2003 and has been linked with the Williams team after Juan Pablo Montoya announced he will join rivals McLaren in 2005. The Jaguar driver admitted he was flattered to be a candidate for a seat at the Grove-based squad.

"Yes, it would be a fantastic opportunity," he said. "It's a honour to be associated with a team that has won so many Championships, but it isn't the only one. To be in this list of candidates is positive, but the contract with Jaguar goes to the end of 2005, so let's just wait and see."