Did a bit of thinking this evening - having googled James Courtney and F1/Jaguar.
Why did he not make it to F1?
Does anyone know the story (other than the article URL posted below)?
http://www.dailytele...r-1225881516339
Was it money? not fast enough? was being Australian not attractive for F1 teams? sick of F1, as he mentioned? Was it the crash he had at Monza in a test for Jaguar in 2002?
Does anyone know the truth here - I've heard many different versions.... Thanks if you can assist here.
regards,
doohanOK.
James Courtney - what happened with F1?
Started by
doohanOK
, Nov 09 2010 15:18
10 replies to this topic
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#2
tyrrellp346wheels
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Posted 09 November 2010 - 15:44
Autosport put the blame on his crash in the jaguar as to blame in last weeks issuse
#3
Ross Stonefeld
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Posted 09 November 2010 - 15:58
That's an oddly written article. He was never the British F3 champion(runner-up, some say because of the effects of the massive Jaguar crash at Monza), wasn't really their test driver for three seasons, and had gone off to Japan to race a full two seasons before Jaguar exited F1. And he was racing V8s when Midland came along...
#4
Tim Murray
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Posted 09 November 2010 - 15:59
In hindsight he should never have joined the Jaguar junior team. It must have seemed a pretty good option at the time, but because he was tied in with them he might not have been considered as potentially available by other teams. Again, if he hadn't had the accident in '02, he would probably have won the British F3 title and things might have been very different. However, as he says in that Telegraph article, when Red Bull took over Jaguar they made a clean sweep and he was out. By then he would have been perceived as someone who'd been around for too long without quite making it, and thus no longer worth considering.
#5
ollychester
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Posted 09 November 2010 - 16:29
He had a nasty shunt at Snetterton in F3 about a fortnight before the Monza crash as well - it was either testing or qualifying. He got onto the grass on the outside of Riches, hit a bump and got air under the car and it lifted about 10 or 15 feet in the air before dropping back onto the wheels.
He wasn't badly hurt but it did make a bit of a mess of his back and I think the Monza test was the first time back in a car - I always thought the two crashes in succession really knocked the momentum out of his single seater career, and probably did for his F3 championship chances.
He wasn't badly hurt but it did make a bit of a mess of his back and I think the Monza test was the first time back in a car - I always thought the two crashes in succession really knocked the momentum out of his single seater career, and probably did for his F3 championship chances.
#6
Ross Stonefeld
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Posted 09 November 2010 - 18:06
In hindsight he should never have joined the Jaguar junior team. It must have seemed a pretty good option at the time, but because he was tied in with them he might not have been considered as potentially available by other teams. Again, if he hadn't had the accident in '02, he would probably have won the British F3 title and things might have been very different. However, as he says in that Telegraph article, when Red Bull took over Jaguar they made a clean sweep and he was out. By then he would have been perceived as someone who'd been around for too long without quite making it, and thus no longer worth considering.
Red Bull took over the team at the end of the 2004 season, Novemberish. Courtney had left at the end of 2002 to go to Japan.
#7
Tim Murray
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Posted 09 November 2010 - 18:13
Fair enough - as you pointed out earlier, that article is wrong. My main point still stands, I think - that in hindsight he was unwise to hitch his star to Jaguar.
#8
msan
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Posted 09 November 2010 - 18:27
He was announced like Jaguar's test-pilot for 2003. In 2003, he was All-Japan Formula Three champion for the TOM'S team. In 2004 and 2005 he raced in the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship with Toyota. Then moved to his motherland to drive V8 Supercar.
Maybe announcement in F1 wasn't serious - Jaguar had Andre Lotterer for testing.
And now is leading in standings in V8!
Maybe announcement in F1 wasn't serious - Jaguar had Andre Lotterer for testing.
And now is leading in standings in V8!
Edited by msan, 09 November 2010 - 18:30.
#9
ghinzani
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Posted 09 November 2010 - 21:52
I remember him saying the first time he tested the Jaguar at Monza, along with Lotterer I think, anyway when he braked hard for the first chicane all the water came out of his eyes and coated the inside of his visor and made him have trouble seeing, when he got back to the pits he thought thye'd think he had been crying!
#10
timbo
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Posted 10 November 2010 - 06:58
Anyway, it was all good preparation for his stint on "Dancing with the Stars". 
#11
Ross Stonefeld
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Posted 10 November 2010 - 07:38
Fair enough - as you pointed out earlier, that article is wrong. My main point still stands, I think - that in hindsight he was unwise to hitch his star to Jaguar.
Another way to look at it is with Jag he was able to go into F3 and test F1 cars. Without it he could have been another 'what if' that a lot of people never even heard of.
