The Jaguar Formula One team have put themselves on the track to future success by luring star designer Adrian Newey away from McLaren.

For their part, McLaren are refusing to concede that Newey will leave, claiming he will still work for them after his current contract expires in August 2002.

But Jaguar insist Newey has signed a "legally binding contract".

And his move will be a huge coup for the struggling Jaguar team - the 42-year-old Englishman is regarded as the best racing car designer in the world.

However, trying to turn the Ford-owned outfit into a success is likely to prove the most difficult task he has ever undertaken.

The Jaguar car is much less competitive than were Williams and McLaren, Newey's previous two employers, when he joined them.

However, it is unlikely that McLaren would allow him to see out his contract, because of the risk of him taking the team�s secrets to his new employers.

Newey is likely to be put on 'gardening leave' by McLaren at some point in the future.

His decision is a massive blow to McLaren, whose ability to remain in its position as the best team in F1 will now be in serious doubt.

They started their current spell as F1's standard-setters when Newey joined in time for the 1998 season.

His move also raises the possibility of Ferrari dominating F1 for a couple of years, as Jaguar build up to competitiveness and McLaren slip back.

In that time, Williams may be Ferrari's only competitor.

Estimates as to the length of Newey's contract run from three to five years.

He is understood to be earning a yearly salary in the region of �4m.

Aerodynamic expert

Newey is enormously highly-regarded within F1, having been involved in the design of what has been perceived to be the best car on the grid every year since 1991.

He was at Williams from 1990 to the end of 1996, and joined McLaren in August 1997.

He is renowned as an expert in aerodynamics, and particularly in the difficult art of making them work well without compromising other areas of the car's design.

Cars conceived under his stewardship have become a by-word for elegance, homogeneity and clarity of thought, even if F1 design cannot be ascribed solely to an individual.