Juan Pablo Montoya will leave McLaren at the end of 2006.
Unlike current teammate Kimi Raikkonen, however, the feisty Colombian - once the toast of American open-wheel racing and then hot F1 property - is not spoiled for choice in terms of an alternate ride for next year.
After quitting Williams following a team argument, 30-year-old Montoya has not impressed in his two years at the silver camp.
”Only a sequence of wins will save him,” a McLaren team member anonymously told Auto Motor Und Sport in Germany.
Also ominously, the earlier interest of Red Bull appears to have waned since Dietrich Mateschitz’s friend and business partner, Gerhard Berger, warned him off.
With a few relationships mended, then, could a return to Williams be an option for Montoya? First as a test driver in 1997, team chief Sir Frank Williams introduced the extravagant racer to F1.
Williams, 64, was quoted as saying: ”Juan is a great racer.”
[GMM]
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Dude, haha its bad for Montoya, his cars have actually not blown up, or had that many mechanical failures like Kimi’s but he just hasnt shown the results with the team. 3 Wins last year, and up till now 0. And it looks as though in qualifying trim he just hasnt been up there with say Ferrari, Renault or Kimi, or even the BMW Saubers! Haha, i wonder where he would end up next year..
Montoya is such a hothead it has finally caught up with him. If he exercised some self control, he’d have choices. I wonder where he’ll go??
Well there are always the two new entrants into F1 as far as teams are concerned. I think we will likely see Montoya somewhere, just not sure where. F1 Racing Mag had a great article entitled Monsta Montoya. Maybe he will end up like another Alesi, however I like Montoyas asshole attitude. It really helps the sport abit more then hurts it. We need a few “bad boys” if we dont have them then F1 seems too steril and corporate. Its already gotten that way and seems to be losing ground as the “pinnacle” when more peopel seem to be enjoying the A1 GP series in my circle.
Montoya is a flaming idiot!!! Why he’s Kimi’s teammate of all people, i dont know!! It’s almost as if Ron Denis’s brain goes numb when he sees Montoya, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see just how incompetant Montoya really is! Just take a look at Kimi and Juan Pablo’s records…Kimi has far more engine failures and mechanical problems than Montoya, yet somehow he manages to out do him EVERY TIME!! Yea, Montoya has had some luck everyonce in a while, but for the most part, the pompous #%@hole is out there for himself and not the team! How many times have we seen the dumb#%@ almost knockout his own teamate, just trying to gain a spot! Everyone know’s Kimi has a better chance of ctually crossing the finish line, than Montoya has switching gears in the right order!! All i have to say is, Congratu-#@%&#@-lations Ron Denis for growing a couple brain cells, and uisng your eyes!!!
Just a point, this has not been made official yet. Of what i hear from various sources, McLaren, while Montoya is not likley to get the drive, they do like his work ethic and his urge to improve that was seen through the off season. However, with the hype surrounding Lewis Hamilton, my money is on him getting the drive. Montoya? probably heading out of F1 unless someone is foolish enough to pay his wages.
So Alonso will replace Montoya, perhaps Montoya would replace Schummi if he leaves?…hmmmmm…..