By Pablo Elizalde, Spain
Atlas F1 News Editor

Luciano Burti's surprise switch from Jaguar Racing to Prost Grand Prix a month ago may have not improved his grid position, but so far it has been doing wonders to his image, as he outqualified veteran speedmaster Jean Alesi. Pablo Elizalde interviewed the young driver - about his experience at Jaguar, the difference between the two teams, his relationship with Irvine, and more. Always look on the bright side of life

Despite having only seven Grands Prix to his credit, Luciano Burti's Formula One career has had more hiccups that he could have expected when he first joined the fray back in 1998. A last minute debut with Jaguar at last year's Austrian Grand Prix, four races in 2001 with the struggling Milton Keynes-based team, and a surprising move to Prost Grand Prix to replace Gaston Mazzacane must have sent a very clear message to the young Paulista: Competing, let alone succeeding, in Formula One is no easy task.

However, there was more than first meets the eye to Burti's troubled Grand Prix start. The major reshuffle that new team boss Bobby Rahal carried out after joining Jaguar at the end of 2000, as well as the constant rumours about his future once Pedro de la Rosa was hired as test driver at the start of the season, have made Burti's experience even tougher than any rookie can expect in the pinnacle of motorsports.

Williams's Juan Pablo Montoya, Sauber's Kimi Raikkonen or even Minardi's Fernando Alonso have all been already tipped as future stars after only six races into the 2001 season. But at Jaguar, where the headlines are made by either the outspoken Eddie Irvine complaining about the team or the car, Niki Lauda responding to the Irishman's comments, or the backroom changes that the team have been so often subject to in the past few months, Burti's performance so far was hidden in the shadows.

Despite being closely matched to his teammate in qualifying pace and some consistent race showings, Burti learnt after the fourth Grand Prix of the season that he was out of the team in 2002, something that is not easy to cope with when you are a rookie.

"Of course it was not the ideal situation for me in my first full season in F1," Burti told Atlas F1. "Honestly, I tried to forget this when I go to the track, but of course it is always bad to have to think about your future after just one or two races." But at the same time, he denies his job was at risk this season, despite de la Rosa's signing. "There were some rumours, but Niki Lauda and Bobby Rahal had said to me that I would stay at Jaguar for the whole 2001 season, as my contract guaranteed it."

Having been linked to the Stewart family since he joined their Formula Three team in the British Championship in 1998, 26-year old Burti was given his first taste of a Formula One car that same year and, when in 2000 Stewart-Ford became Jaguar, he was recruited as official test driver. But when Irvine fell sick at the Austrian Grand Prix in 2000, Burti was given his first opportunity to race, and finished in a creditable 11th place at a track he had only driven during Saturday's second practice and qualifying. At the Italian Grand Prix that year, he was promoted to racing driver for 2001.

"It was really good because the team recognised my work in 2000," he said about becoming Jaguar's racing driver. "I tested a lot for the team in 2000 (more than 30 days of testing) and I think they really liked my performance. And I felt that many people in the team liked me. In Monza, when I was announced, there were some mechanics that nearly cried when I gave the good news!

"I think they (Jaguar) were quite good for a rookie driver," he adds. "I finished 3 races in 4, and in Brazil I had a mechanical failure in a race I would probably have gotten some points in. In qualifying, I was very close to Eddie, especially in Interlagos and Imola, were he was just one tenth ahead of me. And Eddie is bloody fast so that's why I think it was a nice performance."

The Ford-owned Jaguar team, having scored just four points in their debut season in 2000, saw the entry of American Bobby Rahal at the end of last year, in the hope of taking them higher up the grid, and closer to those with similar budgets. Rahal's managing style saw several backroom changes at Jaguar, most notably that of technical director Gary Anderson being replaced by fellow American Steve Nichols and the entry of aerodynamicist Mark Handford.

But those changes did not mean improvements in the car's performance this season, and after the first six races, Jaguar are the only team along with Prost and Minardi, who are yet to score a point. Many observers have questioned Rahal's decisions, but Burti believes the team still need time before the former CART champion's management begins to pay dividends.

"I think the team made some good changes during the pre-season, but in F1 it takes time before these changes can turn out in advantage on the track," Burti says. "I think Bobby Rahal is a good team boss. I think he has a lot of experience as team owner and as former driver and it's important for a driver to know that your boss understands exactly what you are talking about. It's his first year in Jaguar and in F1, so things are very tough for him.

"The R2 is better than the R1, but the problem is that the other teams also have better cars. So, in terms of competitiveness, Jaguar didn't have much improvement." Irvine, in contrast, has openly expressed his disappointment with this year's car, even stating that it was slower than last season's R1. In turn, he was being subject to all sort of criticism, especially from Lauda, concerning his lack of motivation when it comes to testing and developing the car. Burti disagrees.

"I had and still have a good relationship with Eddie," Burti says. "People underrated his capacity of developing the car. He is really committed to the job. And he is very, very difficult to beat, so it always helped me to improve my performance. He also passed me a lot of information which is very valuable for me as he is a very experienced driver."

Not as experienced as Jean Alesi, though - Burti's new teammate at the Prost Grand Prix team. His move to the French outfit right before the Spanish Grand Prix was not that surprising when you consider that Lauda himself had already admitted Burti would make way for de la Rosa in 2002.

Many believe Burti was the innocent victim of the Ulsterman's lack of motivation, as the team thought putting de la Rosa in the second Jaguar would make Eddie raise his game and help them move forward. As it was, the Brazilian, as much as he admitted he would miss his friends at Jaguar, decided the future looked brighter in blue overalls and joined Prost, replacing the under-performing Argentine Gaston Mazzacane.

Some observers might believe a full solid season at the wealthy Jaguar would have been a smarter choice, which could have opened the door to teams higher up the grid than the financially-weak Prost. There is no doubt in Burti's mind, however, that he made the right choice when he opted to drive for Alain Prost's Ferrari-powered team.

"I think it was the best decision I could make at this stage of my career," he admits. "Prost is in a very similar position as Jaguar. And at Prost I can develop my future in F1. After this two first races (Spain and Austria) with the French team, I can say that I'm really enjoying working with Prost Grand Prix.

"It's very nice to have a fast and experienced teammate such as Jean Alesi. We can share a lot of information and one driver pushes the other, which is very good for the team. And you can imagine how special is to work with a four times World Champion! Alain is very professional and since my first day in the team I felt welcomed by him. He is helping me a lot, just like Pedro Diniz, which is also important for me in the team."

And how does the AP04 chassis rate against the R2?

"I think there are a lot of differences between these two cars, although they are very similar in terms of performance," admits Burti, who qualified only two tenths behind Irvine in Spain and six tenths behind in Austria. "Prost uses Ferrari engine, so it's a good advantage. But on the other hand I don't have power steering in the AP04. These are only examples of little differences between the two cars."

In his first two Grands Prix with Prost, Burti has outqualified veteran Alesi both in Spain, where he arrived having only driven the AP04 for a couple of laps around Silverstone, and Austria, though Luciano's best result is still an eighth place with Jaguar at the season opening Australian Grand Prix.

There are still eleven races where he will be able to prove his worth, and his goals for the remainder of the season are very clear. Amongst them, however, there are no thoughts of revenge against Jaguar, though he admits he would like to see the green cars only in his rear view mirrors.

"I don't expect to beat Jaguar, I expect to beat the whole F1 grid!" he exclaims, smiling. "Honestly, this kind of thing [of taking revenge at Jaguar] does not pass on my mind. My focus is to make Prost as competitive as possible, so for sure I want to beat Jaguar, but I also want to be faster than Arrows, BAR, Jordan etc."

The 2001 season will probably not see Burti doing much better at the wheel of the Prost than he was doing driving the Jaguar, but he's willing to maximise the opportunity and perhaps return to Milton Keynes when the Cat begins to perform as it is expected to. "If they (Jaguar) want me as a driver and have a competitive car, then I will join them. Why not? I left a lot of friends there and I'm sure the team will improve its performance in a couple of years."

Perhaps Luciano Burti has not set the world alight like Montoya or Raikkonen, and most definitely he is not in the best team to do it, but sometimes Formula One is about hanging in there until the real opportunity knocks. And, so far, Burti proved wise enough to do just that, and always with a smile.