jaguar's problems

[RWC]

Ouch.Jag has problems allready!Not a good start.they did all the sensible things though...isolate the problem(it's ONLY a front wing ,the rest is good)and get on with fixing it,which they will do.Just a shame it's holding up the rest of the program though.One of the things that surprised me was that the R3 is 30kg lighter than the R2!I didn't think they could lose that much-was last years car a porker?

[M Power]

WAIT !!! I found Jag's problem .. There owned by FORD
sorry I had to say it!



But I really hope that Jag pickup this year

[Neil C]

Was last years Jag a porker? In more ways than one, RWC.

M Powder, if not for Ford, there would likely not even be a Jaguar road car today, much less an F1 effort. But I haven't heard about that Jag pickup you mentioned? When can I buy one?

[Gt_R]

Jaguar's main problem is that they are trying too hard to build up an image for themselves more that building up a good car. Lauda and Irvine seems to love talking to the press more than working on their cars...and come up with strange antics to keep themselves on the front page. "Jaguar in fight for newey" "Lauda wants to be a monkey" "Irvine says he stays"...

Perhaps they should just put aside their dream off building a "British Green Ferrari" and focus with their job. Fixing the problem with the car is a good start.

[Damon]

When I read the title I thought this thread would be about Lauda . To sort their problems they should get rid of Mr Parmalout and Eddie Irvine, and reinstate Sir Bobby!! Lauda is a waste of space, look at all the success he had as 'advisor' to Ferrari in the mid 90's, the minute he left the team began to improve.

[timbo2001]

Geez, not only does it go slow, it LOOKS slow, bulky and ugly, this car should go down in history as one of the worst looking F1 cars ever. Get rid of Lauda and Irvine, and the team might be able to solve its other problems in a more serious and professional manner.

[Nicholas]

I didn't think it looked that bad and that by copying Ferrari (ie doing a Prost ) they might come 7th instead of 8th this year. Oh well. I like the paint scheme...

What I don't understand is that this car was designed by the man who penned Mclaren's '88 car, Steve Nichols....

[RT]

I once read about the color and its meaning that. Well..it was british, it was racing and it was green.... but it wasn't "british racing green". Jaguar has tried to emphasize image over performance and common sense. Right now it's a marketing tool for Ford and that's all there is to it and it won't be there for long if they continue with the lack of focus.

What really, really bugs me is that they took a perfectly good team (Stewart) with Ford sponsorship and all the historical connections to the bygone years of joint anglo-american racing success and turned it into a commedy of errors with two aging drivers. Even now, I don't see championship material in their lineup.

I wish they'd bring Sir Jackie back to the helm and give him a free hand to rebuild his team. He'll know where to look for good young drivers, english or not. The team needs the Stewart tartan somewhere. It may look a lot better at the end of the races...when it counts.

[Nicholas]

Does Stewart still have a role in the team?

I loved the old Stewart paint scheme as well

[RWC]

Nicholaswhite i've also heard that quote alot-that steve nichols designed the 88 mac.But he did have the very best everything:The two best drivers,the best engine,copying the 86 brabham without the reliability troubles...He COULDN'T go far wrong with those ingredients.At jag he has the similar stuff to work with as every other team.
Has anyone got a link to a good jag pic?

[nobjockey]

What I find incredible about this situation at Jaguar is they have the likes of Nichols and Handford (an aerodynamic genius were told) gerzillions of dollars, all the resources that all those dollars can buy including the facilities that the Ford Motor Company can provide and they make a dodgy front wing.

I think some P45's should be given out here the first one to Lauda.

[Number Juan]

it does astound me that with all this money they cant even make a half decent car when we see teams like minardi and prost with at least a 1/4 of that money either out-qualifying them or qualifying only 1-2 seconds behind them!!! its madness i tells ya!!!

[Damon]

BAR are the same, they've realised that you can't just throw cash at the team if its not hitting the target.

[Nicholas]

There's no point having money if you can't use it properly and hire the right people.

[Number Juan]

which means the Jaguar problems arent just on track, theyre deep rooted - bad management and bad admin. this is where P45's will become common things!!!

Jaguar: fire your management, get new people in - and start winning!!!

[EERO]

Originally posted by Damon
To sort their problems they should get rid of Mr Parmalout and Eddie Irvine, and reinstate Sir Bobby!!

I couldn't agree more, I am not convinced by Lauda's ability to run the team and Irvive is past due. They need to throw their resources behind a hot young driver and build toward the future. I also don't understand why everyone wants to take shots a Ford. The Le Mans campaigns of the Sixties were magnificent and they single-handedly kept F1 going through the Cosworth DFV era. I will grant that they exibited extreme hubris with the way they eviscerated the Stewart team and launched Jaguar. I thought that Rahal's appointment was the sign that they had recognized that they needed a no-nonsense racer at the helm.

I believe that Ford's long term goals will triumph in the end. They know what it takes to succede and they will be wiling to make the effort. This latest debacle with a wonky front wing isn't going to help their progress.

[nobjockey]

I have to say that Rahal's appointment to the Jaguar team was a total mystery to me. On what basis does he qualify to direct a team with a disasterous track record to a F1 world championship?

What Jag need is someone who has done it or been very close before.

[Alan Jones]

I've gotta set up my tent in EERO's camp as I too feel it would be great to see Ford / Jaguar competing with the topguns. I am fairly sure Ford are the most successful of all the manufacturer's in the history of F1 and hope they can get add a few more titles etc to the record books. Obviously, to accomplish this there needs to be a long term plan in mind and hopefully in the next 3 years they can lay the foundations to set themselves up for a title fight.

Go the Blue Oval

[Damon]

Originally posted by nobjockey

What Jag need is someone who has done it or been very close before.

I believe Frank Williams, Ron Dennis and Jean Todt are all taken unfortunatly.

[EERO]

Originally posted by nobjockey
I have to say that Rahal's appointment to the Jaguar team was a total mystery to me. On what basis does he qualify to direct a team with a disasterous track record to a F1 world championship?

What Jag need is someone who has done it or been very close before.

I would credit Rahal's manner; his determination, his support of his people, and his ability to engender their loyalty, his astounding professionalism and unflappable manner. He was a racer through and through with not an ounce of BS in him, unlike "Niki Waldheim".

Recall that Todt was a rallyist, and the Sir Frank had ben kicking around the lower reaches of F1 for 10 years before success came his way. Two of the three most successful Team leaders are proof that successs at F1 does not stem directly from a suriteit of driving talent or a political background in F1. What matters is ability and adaptability-two things Rahal had in spades.

[Mania]

This will be another testing season for them but they should be able to finish ahead of the likes of BAR, Sauber, and possibly Arrows.

I think Jaguar will make the grade in due course. I never expected them to be able to challenge for an occasional win until 2005 at the earliest. Fluke wins like Stewart's in 99 are obviously impossible to predict but on merit Jaguar always had a long way to go.

Nikki Lauda is a man who can get the job done. I think he`s good enough to get results if he hangs around long enough. Rahal was a strange appointment purely because he had no prior F1 experience and he was thurst into a prominent role in a team that was just starting up. So he got the short end of the bargain. Lauda should have been running this team since day one IMO.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Number Juan


it does astound me that with all this money they cant even make a half decent car when we see teams like minardi and prost with at least a 1/4 of that money either out-qualifying them or qualifying only 1-2 seconds behind them!!! its madness i tells ya!!!

isn't this the same as a certain team always decked out in red for about 21 years??......ferrari threw money at wasted championships left right and centre, but they got there in the end.

jaguar have got to do the same......the only difference is, ford are more likely to pull jaguar out of f1 than lose face (even more), this was never an option for ferrari.....they always had time on their side.

[Valve Bounce]

Originally posted by EERO


..........and they (Ford) single-handedly kept F1 going through the Cosworth DFV era.

Sorry EERO, I just couldn't let this one go. Ford had very little to do with the Cosworth engine apart from putting in a limited amount of cash during the development stage. Ford won big time in getting their name on an engine and into F1 when they did very little.
I agree that the management of Jaguar is lacking, top heavy, lacks focus, but that will be their problem this year also. Just how could they hire Rahal to manage the team, then hire Niki who then fired Rahal? There cannot be loyalty in such a team and their morale must be hitting rock bottom.

[Super Tourer]

The problem with Jag is that they have had valuable lesson's played out in front of them that they never learn from.

Lauda makes a great figurehead and soundbite quoter for the media, but as a manager forget it. Even his own airline went virually broke so as a businessman he scores nil as well.

IMO Jag thought they would P*** F1 with a bit more cash to play with, yet the results show that both Jag and BAR have spent a lot to get nowhere.

They should have watched Sauber last year and seen what a simple yet effective car, driven by two hungry drivers can achieve. If I were Ford's board I would be asking NL, how a team that spent probably 50% less than Jag with NO expensive 'name' drivers - could finish 4th - and get him to do the same.

Despite what Ford may say in public, this is a make or break year for Jag - in marketing terms they will start to suffer from negative publicity - with their main rivals Merc & BMW winning races and Jag not even close.

IMO they either need to bin it in 2003 or have a complete clearout from top to bottom of the team - hire in some young talent - how about F3000 team owner David Sears as team manager - he knows how to win titles. Some talented up and coming engineers and two young, hungry drivers.

Banish Lauda, Irvine & De La Rosa. The irony is that in their attempts to 'de-stewartise' the team, Jag got rid of some good people - who largely contributed to the success of the team.

[f1manoz]

Jaguar has many problems. Here are a few solutions:

1. At least get rid of Irvine, as he is paid way too much and delivering, frankly for what he's paid, very little. Monaco podium aside, Irvine has done nothing in his two years at Jaguar to warrant what he's paid.

However, I don't agree with all the negativity about PDLR. IMO he hasn't re-captured the form he had at Arrows, but 2001 was his settling in year, considering he was thrown in at the deep end. Give him at least half this year to prove himself.

2. Get a new team manager. I still feel sorry for Rahal as he was doing (and did) nothing wrong. And for all his talking, Lauda has done little to inspire confidence for 2002.

3. New design department. Frankly, it appears this years R3 is going to be as bad, if not worse, than the previous two efforts. The Cosworth has proven to be quite a powerful unit, so obviously it is the chassis which is letting down the package.


If Jaguar again fail to deliver any substantial results (I'm talking of at least 5 to 7 podiums along with a win, maybe a couple of poles) in the next two years, then Ford should shut up shop and go back to what they were good at - being engines suppliers.

Quite frankly, Ford seem to be going out of their way to destroying the prestige of the Jaguar name.