The Race F1 Podcast Bring Back V10s: Jaguar's nightmare debut season
Apr 1, 2026
Andrew van de Burgt, who ran Jaguar Racing's website in 2000, and Gary Anderson, former F1 technical director who led Jaguar's car development, recall the team's chaotic debut. They discuss testing failures, oil and gearbox problems, Ford's disruptive management, midseason fixes and brief bright spots like Monaco. The conversation traces leadership turmoil, technical firefighting and why the campaign collapsed.
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Ambition Led To Risky Aero Choices
- Jaguar entered 2000 with high expectations after Stewart's strong 1999 but aggressive aero risk-taking left them vulnerable.
- Gary Anderson chose an adventurous aero step for performance gains, accepting short-term setbacks that then compounded under new management pressure.
Oil Microfilter Caused Gearbox Failures
- A microfilter added to a shared engine/gearbox oil system blocked and caused gearbox overheating and failures in testing.
- Gary describes inserting a screwdriver to enlarge the filter as a stopgap and reverting the design to restore running before Australia.
Herbert's Decline Was A Confidence Problem Not An Immediate Sacking
- Johnny Herbert's qualifying collapse wasn't treated as an immediate firing risk despite corridor rumours about Luciano Bertie.
- Gary defended Herbert, citing different driving styles and confidence-related laps as reasons to retain him.