23/06/2004
NEWS STORY
Jaguar's record of hiring and firing is second to none in F1, despite the Milton Keynes outfit's relatively short time in the sport.
Whether you're talking management or drivers, the list of those who have passed through the (revolving) doors of the Ford-owned team, is seemingly endless: Niki Lauda, Luciano Burti, Bobby Rahal, Antonio Pizzonia and Justin Wilson, to name but a few.
After nine races, Christian Klien has yet to score a point, his best finish being ninth in the Canadian GP, and it appears that his employers are already having second thoughts.
Talking to Motorsport News, managing director David Pitchforth reveals that the team attempted to bring the Austrian into F1 slowly rather than putting him straight in the hot-seat.
"We lobbied Red Bull very hard to make Christian the tester and put somebody more experienced in the race seat," says Pitchforth. "I think they now admit that maybe that was the better move."
To all intents and purposes this is the first time that the team has expressed unhappiness with the youngster, and though he has hardly taken F1 by storm, he has at least given a fairly good account of himself. The Austrian has out-qualified teammate Mark Webber three times, and has brought the car home six times, retiring once and crashing twice.
When Klien was first linked with the Jaguar seat there was concern that he was being introduced too early, whilst others merely regarded him as (just) another pay driver. It would be sad to think that the youngster is another victim of the Milton Keynes outfit's 'suck 'em dry, spit 'em out' attitude.
The Ford-owned team is currently ninth in the Constructors' Championship, with Mark Webber seemingly heading to WilliamsF1 in 2005.
After nine rounds of the 2003 season, Jaguar had nine points, going on to score a further nine, and thereby finishing seventh in the championship, one point behind Sauber.