P R O F I L E

Eddie Irvine came into his own in the 1999 season, after his Ferrari team mate, Michael Schumacher, crashed in the British Grand Prix and broke his leg. Previously he had been Schumacher's number two with no wins to his name, but suddenly found himself thrust into the spotlight as Ferrari's only world championship hope, and took victory in four races.

He battled McLaren's Mika Hakkinen to the last race in Japan, where he lost the title following the Finn's race win. However, he had done enough throughout the season to make an impression on the formula1 fraternity and, tired of staying in Schumacher's shadow, had already announced his move to Jaguar for 2000.

His debut year as the lead driver at Jaguar was disappointing, as reliability problems and a lack of speed over a race distance, limited the Ulsterman's opportunities for success. However, fourth place at the Monaco GP garnered him three points, and sixth place in Malaysia saw him score another one.

Despite his reputation as the wildcard of the pit lane when it comes to talking to the media, he remained positive throughout 2000, emphasising that it was a learning year for the team, and followed suit in 2001 as the team still struggled to match the top six outfits.

Monaco once again proved kind and he took the team's first podium when he finished third, behind Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, on the Monte Carlo street circuit. The Ulsterman has continually affirmed his desire to lead the outfit to success, and has developed a good relationship with new team boss Niki Lauda.

In 2002 he no doubt will be hoping to start Jaguar's fight back to glory, partnered by Pedro de la Rosa for the second year running.




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