[Raceboy]

Lauda: Irvine was too demanding Jaguar boss gives reasons for ditching driver
Lauda claims he never rowed with Irvine

Jaguar Racing chief Niki Lauda has revealed some of his reasons for not re-signing Eddie Irvine.

Irvine and teammate Pedro de la Rosa have both been dropped by Jaguar next season in favour of the relatively inexperienced pairing of Mark Webber and Antonio Pizzonia.

Speaking to the News of the World, Lauda said of Irvine: "He is a very demanding driver. He did cause friction but that's Eddie for you.

"People got upset by things that were said. I'm not so sensitive but the team suffered a bit on these issues."

Eddie is very direct and he doesn't necessarily think about other people's feelings

Lauda denied reports that he had rowed with Irvine, saying: "That's absolutely untrue. That was never the case. From my point of view things were always friendly. I never had a problem with Irvine personally."

Meanwhile, Jenson Button has given his opinion on Irvine's future. He told the Daily Mirror: "I'm not really bothered if Eddie gets a drive."

Button admitted Irvine's outspoken attitude was good for the sport, but added: "He's getting on a bit now and there are a lot of new drivers who are very quick and who should be given a chance."

bron: autosport.com