From www.autosport.com McLaren signs Montoya for 2005 Colombian ace to switch from Williams Montoya is likely to take over from Coulthard McLaren has confirmed that Juan Pablo Montoya will drive for the team in 2005, ending months of speculation about the Colombian's future. Montoya has driven for Williams since his entry into Formula 1 in 2001, but there has been mounting speculation that he has been in talks with McLaren. He is believed to have been unhappy that he is paid significantly less than current team-mate Ralf Shchumacher. "I am thrilled to be joining West McLaren Mercedes," said Montoya. "The team is consistently a strong World Championship contender and has a fantastic heritage. It's a great opportunity for me and I'm really looking forward to the first time I will be able to drive one of their cars. To join them is an amazing challenge and experience which I plan to fully enjoy. "However, my short term aim is to concentrate 100 percent on winning the 2004 World Championshp." The opportunity to sign a talent like Juan Pablo was too good to miss Ron Dennis McLaren is to confirm its full 2005 driver line-up at a later date, but it is almost certain that Montoya will team with Finnish ace Kimi Raikkonen. The team has confirmed that it will run Raikkonen and Scot David Coulthard next season. "We want to win races and World Championships, and in order to do so we have to plan for the future whilst applying every effort in the short term," said McLaren boss Ron Dennis. "The opportunity to sign a talent like Juan Pablo was too good to miss, and there is already a considerable amount of anticipation within our team about 2005. "We are certainly looking forward to seeing what he can do in one of our cars and I believe that it's a prospect that can't fail to excite Formula 1 fans around the world." Best Mark
Indeedly-do, it's "official" now. Just checked FC>Racing to see if anybody'd posted yet. Saw it at: http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns12170.html Going to be an interesting 1-2 punch in '05...
Jim, you got a good point there. I was asking myself the same thing. How weird is that going to be for the Williams team knowing their best asset is going to leave at the end of the year. Not only leave, but go to one of its main competitors. If anything, this plays into Ralf's hands as being now #1 in the team. Weird situation.
Hopefully they do better than that... they keep him tied up, but don't let him drive. A year's rest will do him good!
I'm a big Williams (and JPM) fan but believe this was a major mistake on Williams part. JPM is extremely popular in the US; Williams just signed on with a major US sponsor (Budweiser) and they are now letting him go to McLaren- presumably because they wouldn't pay him what McLaren thought he was worth. It will be hard to find a replacement that provides his allure and abilities at a competitive price. This has got to be very good for McLaren from a sponsorship perspective and having a stable of young competitive drivers to plan the future with can't hurt either. Certainly they now have at least two of the best out there. I would be very curious what McLaren offered him and what Frank balked at. I think JPM was, esp. when viewed in comparison to Ralf, grossly underpaid at Williams.
I think Ralf could do the good. Just look at what he did from the beginning up to the middle of the season. He's was good and he wasn't that far from MS and RK in the points. But then he injured himself ,etc.. As for the 2005 Williams seat... There's rumors about Webber , Barichello or Fisichella that could get the jod.
McLaren wanted JPM to drive for them in 2004, but a deal couldn't be done. Coulthard's new contract forn 2004 states that they can drop him at any time if JPM becomes available.
Am I the only person that feels bad for DC? I know it's a business and everything, but imagine how he feels.
He has had his opportunities...he is a decent racer but not worth the seat if JPM is available. - JMG
I think it is in Montoya's best interest to do extremely well this season (after all, his own credentials no matter for which team he races are important). On top of that, Williams will obviously do well with him doing in good standing. If McLaren can keep up, great, if not, it's not Montoya's problem until the year after. I am surprised at the move, however, because I had always understood that Sir Frank really liked Montoya...strange to see him let go. --Dan
I agree Dan, The thought of "tanking" is absolutely inconceivable to any proper race driver, and Montoya certainly is a proper race driver. Sir Frank certainly likes Montoya, but has always been a bit reluctant to pay top dollar for talent. Ron, obviously, upped the ante.
Frank is very much a man of his own principles and $$$ (make that quid actually). He has let go drivers twice after making them world champions when he would have had the honor of carrying the #1 on his cars (Prost and Mansell). If a driver wants more money than Frank is willing to give, well, bon voyage!
I agree- Frank has never been loath to let someone go if he thought he could get by with a driver demanding less cash. He obviously prefers to spend his money on the car, not the driver. Having said all that, I always wondered what he'd have done had Senna lived- would he have paid him big bucks for years, or dumped him in favor of a cheaper young gun?
Good question. 1995 would have been really interesting. Imagine Senna had clinched the title in 94 and obviously demanded more money. Ferrari wanted Senna, almost got him for 94. The power game would have been there and my own speculation is, Ferrari with Marlboro would have picked up the tab for 95. Just because I think there is a limit to what Frank is willing to pay. But then again he had Rothmans backing.
Andreas, I think you may be right. I suspect that Marlboro's deep pockets might've prevailed, especially taking into account Frank's aversion to paying top dollar. I can't imagine he'd have anted up big bucks for long, although maybe the Senna cult (and I don't mean that disparagingly, as I was one of them) might've swayed him- the guy was iconic, and that might have influenced even Frank. Alas, we'll never know . . .
All speculation, but with Senna at Ferrari in 95, Frank would have had some good $$$ to throw after a young talent. A young talent like MS, who wouldn't have been champion just yet. Who knows. When you think about it, you realize how many lives and career paths were changed that Sunday in Imola.
If Frank Williams won't pay top dollar for talent, then how come Ralf Schumacher gets the third highest salary in F1 behind only JV and MS these last few years? Or is this another example of the Willi Weber magic?
