By Huw Alban
May 9 2002

This is something that doesn’t happen very often ! Jaguar’s Niki Lauda, who is partially responsible for the Cosworth engine deal with Arrows, has launched a scathing attack on at least four team bosses including Tom Walkinshaw. Lauda used an interview with the Sun newspaper to vent his views, starting with Jordan team boss Eddie Jordan. The Silverstone based team has had to make drastic cuts to the workforce and is rumoured to be losing it’s Honda engine deal at the end of the year. Eddie has also led the way in calling for action to reduce the cost of competing in Formula 1, and it is this that has irritated Lauda. "Eddie Jordan, who has sold 40 per cent of his team for £20 million, prefers collecting extortionately expensive yachts instead of looking after his F1 team," Lauda said to the British tabloid.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis was next, for stating that his team didn’t need Michael Schumacher in order to win a world championship. In Lauda’s opinion, this statement is farcical at the moment and he accused the McLaren team of going "nowhere". Minardi didn’t escape his attention, with Lauda labelling the driver team of Mark Webber and Alex Yoong as "cheapjack racers". Minardi boss Paul Stoddart instantly reacted to the jibe saying, "Our ‘cheapjack racers’ have performed as well as Niki's team who have a £150m budget." He he, nice quote :o)

Arrows boss Tom Walkinshaw was also a subject of the conversation, more specifically the way that the Scot does business. Niki drew attention to the fact that everyone is aware of the manner in which Walkinshaw conducts business, and that this subject is better left alone. Curious then that the two talked enthusiastically last year about the working relationship between Cosworth and OrangeArrows, and how it would help to take both Arrows and Jaguar forward. Now Niki is having a pop at the very team whose contribution is doubling the amount of engine data that his own team would normally have. At the time of writing there has been no official reaction from the OrangeArrows press office.

Where these strong comments have suddenly come from is unclear, but Eddie Jordan has a theory. "Niki is obviously having a go at others to deflect from his own poor showing on the track," Jordan said in reaction to Lauda’s comments about the Jordan team. "He has more resources at his disposal than the entire bottom half of the grid and yet he has scored only three points this season. He should concentrate on his own job and not worry about the other teams."