Formula One: Bobby backs Irvine to stay at Jaguar

Team chief Bobby Rahal sees no reason why Eddie Irvine should not stay at Jaguar Racing after his contract ends next season.

Rahal has hailed Irvine as the ‘real deal’ and promised to do all he can to give the Ulsterman a race-winning car.

Irvine, who will reputedly earn £18m from his three-year contract with Jaguar which finishes at the end of next year, has indicated he plans to continue in the sport.

‘‘If I am performing on the track it should not be an issue. If I do not perform, I would deserve the sack,’’ said Irvine. ‘‘I have not achieved everything I want to achieve yet, so I don’t see any reason to quit.’’

The 35-year-old and Spanish team-mate Pedro de la Rosa are guaranteed race drives next year, but there are two seats available for 2003 and Jaguar have been linked with young Brit Jenson Button and Canada’s 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

‘‘The way Eddie is driving it would be a pretty safe bet at the moment for him to stay,’’ said Rahal, who saw Irvine score Jaguar’s maiden pole when finishing third in Monaco earlier in the season.

‘‘Eddie is a racer, that’s why he went so well at Monaco. I think his recent races at the Nurburgring and France were quite good and he had good races earlier in the year when he was a lap down.

‘‘There are a lot of guys out there who can turn a fast lap but there aren’t many guys who can hound somebody into making a mistake or passing somebody. Eddie can.

‘‘This guy is committed, irrespective of everything you read. The guy is the real deal in my mind.

‘‘As a team we want to win and I would take anybody crossing the line, but given the fact Eddie he has been here the longest and has invested two years of his life and career into this it would be nice if it was him who got the first win.

‘‘We are working hard to give him and Pedro that opportunity, but that’s not going to come realistically this year.’’

Rahal, whose Jaguar team are currently seventh in the Constructors’ championship, said the aim next year would be to finish fourth if Ferrari, Williams and McLaren maintain their current superiority.

‘‘It is doubtful we can win next year,’’ added Rahal, appointed after Jaguar’s disappointing maiden season when they scored just four points.

‘‘If you look at Williams, Ferrari and McLaren you have got to believe they will stay right where they are and you have got to believe others will improve so being the fourth team right now is our goal.

‘‘That’s realistic for us, that’s obtainable but it will still be difficult to achieve next season.

‘‘The group we are in is Jordan, BAR, Benetton, and Sauber. Certainly Benetton have had a rough year this year so that’s not been an issue.

‘‘But Sauber have done very well. At the beginning of the year I think we were conclusively at the end of that group, I think now we are in the middle.

‘‘My goal is to be at the head of that group. We may not get there this year but we will try - though that is our aim for 2002.’’