Jaguar deny driver injury

Jaguar Racing have denied that Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa suffered back injuries in the Brazilian Grand Prix, saying they are merely a little sore. Rumour surfaced that a previous back problem Irvine had was aggravated by the very bumpy Interlagos circuit but Jaguar spokesman Nav Sidhu stated the higher nose of the R3 combined with the unforgiving track simply made driving uncomfortable.

"Eddie Irvine does not have a back injury," Sidhu said. "In the quest for optimum aerodynamics, more and more F1 cars these cars are being designed with higher noses which, in turn, makes for a relatively more uncomfortable driving position. Combine this with a notoriously bumpy and anti-clockwise circuit like Interlagos, and it is not difficult to appreciate why some drivers finished the race with sore backs."

"Under extreme G-loadings, the drivers' spine disks are compressed together and this is what causes the pain. Given his vocation, Eddie's back is in perfectly good shape and we have no cause for concern. If Eddie was suffering from a back injury, there is no way he could have completed over 100 laps of the Valencia circuit this week during testing. Pedro de la Rosa also suffered from a sore back after the Brazilian Grand Prix, but he too completed over 70 laps this week in Valencia. The principle of a sore back is very different to a back injury per se. The average person normally suffers a sore back after a few hours flying on an economy flight."

Sidhu concluded that neither driver would be affected in the future: "Both Eddie and Pedro suffered sore backs, yes, but there is no sustained back injury on either driver."