Monaco has been a huge boost, says Rahal.

Jaguar boss Bobby Rahal has admitted that when he came over from America he was aware many people behind the scenes were questioning his ability to do the job.

Rahal told British tabloid newspaper The Sunday Mirror: "I knew when I came here at the end of last year that people would say, 'He's from across the pond - what does he know?' I find over here, and especially in motor sport, people can be quite provincial. English people are naturally reserved. They want to see you do it and that's fair enough. Well, I think we are starting to show that we can do it."

"I definitely had to confront a barrier of cynicism. I told the people in the team that at the end of the year they would tell me if I was doing a good job or not. What struck me (first though and) so forcibly was the lack of hope. The morale here really was that low. I saw a lot of good people who needed to feel good about themselves. I knew that, given leadership, guidance and opportunity, they could achieve what they sought."

He added: "The cynics might suggest we were able to make such a big step (forward at Monaco) because we had such a long way to go, and they could have a point. But it doesn't diminish the effort put in by the guys to get that package on the car ahead of schedule. What made last week so satisfying was the teamwork. We operated like a real team. It was a great feeling for everybody - one I could get used to. It's not just the team at the circuit that is involved, though. There are a lot more people back at the factory and it was fabulous to get back and share the pleasure with them. You could see the difference that result made. They had something to show for all the work and commitment they'd put into it. Monaco has been a huge boost for Jaguar Racing."

Rahal concluded: "Monaco was fantastic, but Canada and the rest of the season will be the test for us. We're still a long way behind Ferrari, McLaren and Williams. Everybody wants to win but not everybody can. And the higher up the order you get the more difficult it is to make that extra step. But things do change and our objective this year is to get our house in order so that in 2002 we can be scoring points on a fairly regular basis. Realistically, we can't expect to be winning races and competing for the championship before 2004. But we aim to get there."