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Team | Jaguar |
Date of Birth | 10 November 1965 | |
Nationality | Irish | |
Car Number | 18 | |
Marital Status | Single |
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.
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. This season he will be hoping for the chance to scrap more regularly for points.
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Team | Jaguar |
Date of Birth | 05 March 1975 | |
Nationality | Brazillian | |
Car Number | 19 | |
Marital Status | Single |
Like Ayrton Senna, Luciano Burti began his career on the karting circuits of his native Sao Paulo. He won the 1994 South American Kart Championship before moving to England to further his career. Indeed, his raw speed soon brought him to the attention of the Stewart family, who eventually gave him a drive for the Stewart Racing British Formula 3 team.
His progress through Formula Vauxhall and British Formula 3 to Formula1 was rapid, and in January 2000 he took his place in history as the first driver to pilot a Jaguar Formula1 car when he took part in the R1's shakedown at Silverstone.
He has performed well in testing, as a test driver for both Stewart Grand Prix and Jaguar Racing, and this combined with his successful debut at the Austrian GP (when he deputised for Eddie Irvine) ensured he took Johnny Herbert's vacant seat in 2001.
He now has the opportunity to showcase his talent in the premier motor racing category in the world, although the fledgling Jaguar team had a disappointing debut year. Lead driver of the team, Eddie Irvine, is likely to be a tough but fair competitor, and he will be able to learn from the Ulsterman's experience in Formula1 racing. Burti's first Formula 1 race proper will be on March 4th in Australia.