In 2003, the short and largely resultless history of the Jaguar Formula 1 team continued. The conclusion of the 2002 season had significant repercussions for the British team, as Ford’s management laid off over 60 employees and decided to remove Lauda from his role as team principal. Although he was asked to remain in a simple advisory position, the former Austrian champion refused. At the same time, Ford sought to stabilize the team by restructuring its management.
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| JAGUAR R4, Mark Webber Imola, San Marino GP 2003 |
After the failures under Ford’s CEO Jacques Nasser up to 2001, who had first appointed Bobby Rahal and then Niki Lauda to lead Jaguar before handing the role to Guenther Steiner in 2002, the position of Team Principal was entrusted in 2003 to Tony Purnell. The English engineer Purnell was new to Formula 1, although the company he founded in the 1990s, PI Research, had been acquired by Ford Motor Company in 1999. Under Purnell’s leadership, it became part of Ford’s Premiere Performance Division, and consequently of the Jaguar team. For the position of Technical Director, another newcomer was chosen: English engineer David Pitchforth, whose only motorsport experience was with Reynard Motorsports in the United States between 1997 and 2002. Yet another new figure was Rob Taylor, who, after serving as Chief Designer at Arrows in 2001, was appointed to the same role at Jaguar to design the new R4 for 2003. The head of aerodynamics also changed, with the arrival of Ben Agathangelou, an Anglo-Cypriot engineer with experience at McLaren, Tyrrell, and Benetton, and who had also contributed to the design of the Honda RA099 test car alongside the late Harvey Postlethwaite. Meanwhile, Mark Gillan retained his position as head of car performance.
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| JAGUAR R4, Antonio Pizzonia Melbourne, Australian GP 2003 |
The new Jaguar R4 was therefore almost entirely new, born of a very conventional design developed using the new wind tunnel built near the team’s headquarters in Milton Keynes, and informed by racing experience from the previous three seasons. The engineers focused mainly on the chassis, lighter and stronger, aerodynamics, and above all, the reliability of components, which had caused too many problems the previous year. The Cosworth engine was also completely redesigned, now featuring a 90° V-angle instead of the previous 72°, lowering the center of gravity. This allowed designers to refine the rear dimensions and adjust weight distribution, improving performance to better exploit the Michelin tires, which continued to equip the team in 2003. The new Cosworth CR-5 V10 had a much lighter block than the CR-4, as well as a new injection system ensuring smoother power delivery, now reaching 900 hp at 19,000 rpm.
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| JAGUAR R4, Mark Webber Interlagos, Brazilian GP 2003 |
Visually, the R4 was very similar to the 2002 car, with a slightly lower nose and softer sidepods ending in the characteristic winglets ahead of the rear wheels. The new V10’s exhausts, now conventionally horizontal, blew towards the rear wing. Beneath the surface, alongside a new diffuser made possible by the revised V-angle, were new push-rod suspension systems at both the front and rear, designed to make better use of the Michelin tires. The R4 retained its traditional British racing green livery, with white sidepods and wings bearing the HSBC bank logo. Although the team intended to prioritize pre-season testing, these efforts were constantly hindered by the R4’s reliability issues, preventing sufficient mileage for full development. Before the start of the season, the car was unveiled to the public online, in line with the growing importance of the internet in the early 2000s.
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| JAGUAR R4, Antonio Pizzonia Montrèal, Canadian GP 2003 |
Following the retirement of Northern Irish driver Eddie Irvine and the termination of the contract with Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa, Jaguar signed promising Australian driver Mark Webber and young Brazilian rookie Antonio Pizzonia. The R4’s performance, however, remained poor, and in the first four races there was no sign of escaping the lower reaches of the standings. Only thanks to Webber’s talent did the R4 begin achieving consistent results, scoring points in five out of six races starting with the Spanish Grand Prix. Pizzonia, on the other hand, never adapted to Formula 1 and his first season was marred by poor performances and retirements. As early as the Spanish Grand Prix, rumors circulated about a possible replacement with Austrian Alexander Wurz, McLaren’s third driver and a valuable test driver for the Woking team, though he declined the offer. Pizzonia’s adventure continued until the British Grand Prix, after which he was replaced by British rookie Justin Wilson. The Englishman, too, failed to achieve noteworthy results in his five races, except for an eighth place at Indianapolis, while Webber scored further points in Hungary and Italy. Thanks to Webber’s abilities, Jaguar salvaged an otherwise disappointing season, finishing with 18 points and seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship. Despite everything, 2003 remained the best of Jaguar Racing’s five seasons in Formula 1.
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