This week's Grapevine brings you information fresh from the paddock on: Crunch Time at Jaguar Making the Dollars Count

Crunch Time at Jaguar

The pre-Silverstone tests are offering a couple of teams the chance to put some problems right, before what more than half the grid considers to be their 'home' Grand Prix. Notably, Williams need some serious work on their traction control system, which just eats rear tyres, and Jordan need to work out why they can't get the car balanced properly with the new engine. And, of course, Jaguar have to test their whole new car.

It is clearly overstating the case, to say that if the new 'R3B' car is as poor as the original R3, Ford will pull the plug. They have committed Jaguar to the sport with Bernie Ecclestone for five years, so they will be around for at least another year, which is more than it would be able to say about the current management.

It's common knowledge that the R3's debut was heralded as the team's big restart under Niki Lauda; discovering a "serious flaw" in the aerodynamics has really been a problem. Initially, the root problem seemed to be explained by calibration problems between the wind tunnel and the track ­ potentially offering a quick route to recovery; however, it was never going to be so simple.

In the event, there has been a lot to do. Starting at the front of the car, downforce has not only been lacking, but inconsistent: there is a tendency to lose some of the downforce coming off the brakes into corners ­ this results in an unpleasant understeer on turn in that compromises the driver's ability to carry speed into the corner ­ Eddie Irvine has been particularly vocal about this issue, as it really compromises his style.

It also seems that the front suspension was upsetting the flow through and under the side-pods, regardless of barge-board adjustments, resulting in the centre of the pressure for the under-car downforce 'moving' according to the attitude and speed of the car. The front suspension geometry, barge-boards and wing end plates all feature changes that need to be tested this week, in order to confirm the wind tunnel results. The side-pods themselves needed extending, to improve stability at the cost of drag. which should be more than recovered elsewhere.

Now, even if testing shows that the car is a good step forward, the team have to spend time learning how to set it up properly before they can get that improved speed out of it. Rather an important detail, heading into their home Grand Prix.

Making the Dollars Count

With the current financial climate, marketing budgets around the world have been slashed to the point where it's possible to get your name on the side of a Formula One car for a race for a three figure sum. Not that it will show up on television, mind you ­ the inch high text under the sidepod that the money bought will only show on a good, side on photograph.

One of the established problems with Formula One's approach to finance, is that the teams are all working independently of each other. This has the rather unfortunate side effect that each team's marketing department spends a fair bit of effort enticing business from rivals in the pitlane, instead of bringing in new money. Indeed, in many ways, it is the favoured approach ­ depriving a rival of dollars is almost the same as doubling its worth to the new beneficiary.

There was talk, some time before the Concorde agreement was brought about, about the teams working together on pulling sponsors into the sport; however, with Bernie Ecclestone looking after the calendar, and bringing the whole together, the idea (which had never looked like working) stalled: Ecclestone's proposition included the sort of figures that made it look like the small teams could race for a decade on a season of appearance money!

However, it's not always a case of teams stealing sponsors from each other, sometimes the sponsors themselves upset the apple cart: the big example at the moment being how the Hewlett-Packard/Compaq merger will impact the teams, as there is plenty of doubt over the future of both brands in the sport.

HP have been working with Jordan for almost as long as the team have been in the sport, alongside Jaguar-Racing, whilst BMW's influence brought Compaq on board as the title sponsor and technical partner to Williams for 2000, and they have invested heavily in the company since. However, the powers that be within the corporations have decided that the 'total solution' approach that Compaq have taken with Williams is more appropriate to the HP brand than the more "PC and Server" oriented image Compaq bring to the public mind.

The issue for HP now is what to do with those years invested in Jordan. Williams, clearly, would not be overjoyed for their newly developed systems to be offered to the outfit, but justifying the double spend on technology does not add up for HP either: certainly, the net spend for logo space on the car is starting to look extravagant. Jaguar is a separate case as their Ford backing means they can pay for the privilege, if they want to maintain the relationship. Jordan on the other hand are not a net customer, so it only pays HP if Jordan can continue raise their profile and performance.

This makes the outlook for Eddie Jordan very interesting. Playing on the fact that HP has been a partner for eight years will carry sway for all of five minutes when it comes to figures and support. Williams are the team HP are intending to leverage, so the value of space on the car and access to the team is reduced. All that's left, is the team's image, which at least gives an angle for looking at Compaq branding.

The bottom line for Jordan, however, is a tough choice between a change of partner, with all the new-relationship pain that would involve, negotiating an expensive deal for the Williams technology, or just taking a hit in the budget.