Jaguar Racing have obtained a High Court injuction against rivals McLaren today in their battle over top Formula One designer Adrian Newey. The Milton Keynes-based team’s injunction will restrain McLaren from employing Newey beyond July 31 next year. The move comes just a week after Newey had decided to join Ford-owned Jaguar from August next year, only to change his mind and agree an extension to his contract with McLaren.
Jaguar Racing's chief executive Bobby Rahal, who is a close friend of Newey, had insisted just hours before the today’s latest development that Newey had signed a binding contract and they would not give up the fight to secure his services. This High Court move has ended any hopes McLaren had that the dispute was over, having earlier claimed that the team and Newey wanted to “put the matter behind them” and concentrate on motor racing.
A McLaren statement accused Jaguar of aggressively trying to recruit Newey, despite repeated assurances that they were not making any approaches. The McLaren statement read: “It is a fact that at one point Jaguar Racing had convinced Adrian to leave McLaren. However, at no time in the discussions regarding Adrian's contract extension were McLaren aware of any binding contract between Adrian and Jaguar Racing.”
Newey has not made the trip to Montreal for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix, with McLaren saying it had already been decided he would remain in Britain to concentrate on development programmes. The prized designer has helped McLaren and former team Williams to six drivers' and six constructors' titles.
Filed by Greg McKevitt
