Italian Grand Prix - Qualifying

Weather: Hot and sunny Track temp: 29 - 32 degrees Air temp: 20 - 21 degrees

Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa today produced their best qualifying performances of the season and will start tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix from 6th and 8th places respectively. After showing considerable promise in recent races and test sessions, both Jaguars today fought head-to-head with the front runners for a top spot on the grid for tomorrow’s 53-lap race. With Eddie having scored a championship point in the last race at Spa Francorchamps, the team is even better placed to carry the momentum through to tomorrow’s race. Both Jaguar R3s ran faultlessly over the qualifying hour and despite a late charge from David Coulthard, Eddie’s final timed lap improved further to keep him ahead of the McLaren Mercedes. With Pedro starting from right behind the McLaren Mercedes, the Jaguar R3s are well placed to score more points from the race tomorrow, although the punishing nature of the Monza circuit will make reliability a bigger concern than normal for all runners. Nonetheless, the team can draw comfort from the fact that on-going development work on the Jaguar R3 is now beginning to pay dividends and subsequently allowing the team to battle amongst Ferrari, BMW WilliamsF1 and McLaren Mercedes.

Niki Lauda – CEO and Team Principal

"A fantastic performance and testament to everyone at Jaguar Racing who have all worked tirelessly to find the improvements that we are now benefiting from. Credit must also go to Eddie and Pedro for their very solid performances. Both drivers drove faultlessly today and made progressive improvements to their lap times, albeit under considerable pressure from the runners around them. In Pedro’s case, Jacques Villeneuve was pushing him very hard indeed and in the end, I think less than two-tenths separates them. Eddie’s battle with David Coulthard went right to the bitter end and despite a late charge from DC, Eddie went one better and was rewarded with a place on the third row for tomorrow’s race. We have been chipping away all season in an effort to correct the issues on the Jaguar R3 and over the past few weeks, we have begun seeing some very encouraging signs of competitiveness. The team produced a very solid all-around performance at the last race in Spa and we now have the opportunity to go one better tomorrow. Getting through the first chicane is always the challenge at Monza and once through, the reliability aspect will come into play. This circuit is very tough on engines and brakes and reaching the finishing line is an achievement in itself. The pace of the Jaguar R3 usually tends to be better in race trim than qualifying and suffice to say that everyone at Jaguar Racing is very excited at the prospect of tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix."

Eddie Irvine Position: 6th Best time: 1: 21.606 Chassis: R3-05

"There has been a lot of work undertaken on the Jaguar R3 and I have to say, there is little to criticise today. The balance of the car was very good, the new qualifying engine from Cosworth made a significant difference and combined with a low downforce configuration, we are very much on the pace, especially when you consider where we were not too long ago. My first two runs were slightly compromised by a gear-change problem but it was fixed for the last two runs. I was caught in a battle right between the two McLarens and while getting ahead of Coulthard was always possible, catching Raikkonen was always going to be tough. Getting points is more than a possibility tomorrow, but it’s far from a formality. We have always suffered from a mid-corner understeer problem but that’s no longer the case. I can now attack the corners very aggressively and get straight onto the power. The Jaguar R3 feels like a very different animal to the one we started the season with. It feels like a real racing car now and I cannot wait to take it racing tomorrow."

Pedro de la Rosa Position: 8th Best time: 1:21.960 Chassis: R3-03 T-Car: R3-06

"The car was very quick today and to have got both Jaguars into the top eight is simply fantastic for the team. An awful lot of work has been going on behind the scenes and at our test at Monza last week, we got some very encouraging signs that have manifested themselves today. The balance of the car is very good and combined with Michelin rubber and Cosworth’s new qualifying engine, the whole package is now delivering results. The aim now is to translate this into championship points and assuming we are reliable, there is little to stop us from putting on a good show tomorrow. The team has done an excellent job in turning around a difficult season and it would be great to reward them with points tomorrow."