Montoya not surprised by McLaren's involvement in F1 spy scandal | FerrariChat
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Montoya not surprised by McLaren's involvement in F1 spy scandal

Discussion in 'F1' started by Formula 1, Sep 20, 2007.

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  1. Formula 1

    Formula 1 Formula 3

    Feb 20, 2005
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    #1 Formula 1, Sep 20, 2007
    http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/2007-09-20-1463435926_x.htm

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Although he's far removed from the Formula One spy scandal that rocked his former team, Juan Pablo Montoya can understand how it happened in the ultra-competitive series.
    "It's just how Formula One is," said Montoya, who spent six seasons in the globe-trotting series. "Teams are allowed to bend the rules too much. That's just my personal opinion, but I always felt like people bent the rules and that some teams were allowed to bend the rules more than others.

    "But this? This is crossing the line."

    McLaren was fined $100 million last week and expelled from this year's constructors' championship because the team was in possession of a 780-page dossier that revealed rival Ferrari's technical secrets. It was later revealed through e-mail and text message exchanges that two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and test driver Pedro de la Rosa had intimate knowledge of the Ferrari setups.

    Then, McLaren boss Ron Dennis said Alonso started the escalation of the scandal when he threatened to divulge compromising information to FIA after a team dispute at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

    Montoya wasn't surprised to hear of Alonso's participation, and said the champion was likely frustrated at the way Dennis was favoring teammate Lewis Hamilton. Both drivers are in their first season with McLaren, and are battling each other for the championship.

    "Fernando is a nice guy, but he was the No. 1 at Renault and he was used to winning and getting everything," Montoya said. "Then he went to McLaren, and when (wife) Connie and I heard that Lewis was going to be his teammate, we said 'Oh my God.'

    "We immediately felt sorry for Fernando because Lewis is Ron's baby. Ron paid his whole career, so Ron wants him to win and not Fernando. He would rather see Lewis win, who is like his own child to Ron. Fernando is nothing to him."

    Montoya said he learned in two seasons with McLaren that Dennis can be like a Jekyll and Hyde. Montoya said he charms drivers while courting them to McLaren, but the charm is replaced by intense competition once the working relationship begins.

    "Ron, outside the work environment, is a great guy," Montoya said. "But he's two different guys. The guy who I signed with and played golf with, he just didn't exist in the office. He was just a different person, you wouldn't even recognize him.

    "He wants to control everything, and I think Fernando is (angry) about that because he is not used to someone controlling everything and did not like that Ron was like that. I think Ron is used to drivers who don't say anything back. They are very quiet and very nice and do what everyone says, and I came along and he didn't like that. Now I guess Fernando is the same way."

    So was Alonso duped into leaving Renault after two championships to drive for McLaren?

    "He thought he was going to come in and be No. 1, and he's just not," Montoya said. "They try to make them be equal, but Lewis is genuinely a really fast driver. And apart from being really fast, he's Ron's favorite. It's just the truth, and it makes it bad for Fernando."

    ---

    Montoya's Q&A with Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer:

    Q: So what did you think of the penalties against McLaren?

    JPM: "I was surprised by the fine. It was a little high. But I gotta say, I was surprised that since they were taking points, they should have taken the driver points, as well. That is crazy, you know, because they took the constructor points but the drivers gained from the knowledge. So if you are going to do it, do it properly."

    Q: Does the constructors' title really mean that much? More than the driver championship?

    JPM: "The constructor's title is where the money is made. It's the big money to the teams, because it relates to the TV money."

    Q: You say this spy scandal is 'just how Formula One is.' What do you mean by that?

    JPM: "Someone is always cheating. All the teams have photographers who take pictures of everything on the car. Everybody does it. Here in NASCAR, you have the car right next door to you, you can see it and everything on it. But in F1, if someone tried a new wing or something, everyone would go and take pictures of it. A million pictures of the wing at every angle and then they'd put it on the wind tunnel and go try it. Everyone copies. It's just the way F1 works. There are so many ways for people to bend the rules."

    Q: What did you think of the e-mails that implicated Alonso and de la Rosa in the scandal.

    JPM: "The crazy thing about the e-mails is they aren't really that big of a deal because you can always find out what everybody else is running. Somebody will always open their mouth. You go for dinner, and somebody will say 'We are running this weight and doing that.' So most of the time you can find out what people are running anyway. And de la Rosa was always like that. He would call people and tell them 'We tried this, this and this, and this didn't work.' So he just sent e-mails that said 'We need to try the weight distribution of Ferrari.' But anybody could have found out those numbers without the documents."

    Q: The drivers worked with the FIA and admitted their involvement. Surprising?

    JPM: "No because I guess it was going to come out a different way, and if it does, then they were going to be in trouble. If they have it and somebody is going to open their mouth, then if you don't open your mouth first, then you get incriminated in it.'

    Q: Do you consider this cheating?

    JPM: "I don't know if it's cheating. I want to just say it's Formula One and that's just the way it is over there."

    Q: If someone came to you with documents on a rival, would you look at them?

    JPM: "To be honest with you, someone just doesn't come and offer you the documents ... "

    Q: But if they did?

    JPM: "Of course I would. Wouldn't you? If someone came to you and said 'Here are the documents,' you would take them. But I guarantee that's not the way it happened."
     
  2. ricksb

    ricksb F1 Veteran

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    #2 ricksb, Sep 20, 2007
    I think Juan-Pablo says a lot in this article. Biggest impression to me is what I and others have been saying regarding the "spy scandal"...it's s.o.p. in Formula 1 and it's not cheating unless you get caught. Again, I think this is why the SPEED hosts were teeing off on Ferrari so badly, because they persisted to press a case that could be held against any F1 team.

    We also find out a little more about the driver skirmish at McLaren. Like a few have maintained, Alonso expected to be made the #1 driver at McLaren, and when that didn't happen he went mercenary on Ron Dennis. Others have also maintained that Dennis has created a situation that enables Hamilton to win out of the box because he's Ron's "son". I think using the defending world champion's set-up would qualify as enabling success for the rookie. Of course, JPM also admits that LH is "genuinely a really fast driver", so it's not all about Ron.

    What a screwed up mess RD created for himself.
     
  3. RP

    RP F1 World Champ

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    #3 RP, Sep 20, 2007
    At least Montoya got one thing right, Alonso and Hamilton should not have been allowed to continue in the WDC. This will be a tainted championship no matter what anyone says, especially Hamilton.
     
  4. Senna1994

    Senna1994 F1 World Champ

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    #4 Senna1994, Sep 20, 2007
    Couldn't agree more. They should have been pulled for the rest of the season.
     
  5. PhilNotHill

    PhilNotHill Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #5 PhilNotHill, Sep 20, 2007
    Q: If someone came to you with documents on a rival, would you look at them?

    JPM: "To be honest with you, someone just doesn't come and offer you the documents ... "

    Q: But if they did?

    JPM: "Of course I would. Wouldn't you? If someone came to you and said 'Here are the documents,' you would take them. But I guarantee that's not the way it happened."

    Is he saying that someone would have to BUY the documents?
     
  6. tonyc

    tonyc Formula 3

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    #6 tonyc, Sep 20, 2007
    This is pretty much opposite to what many have said that the WDC is the big one:

    JPM: "The constructor's title is where the money is made. It's the big money to the teams, because it relates to the TV money."
     
  7. ferraridude615

    ferraridude615 F1 Veteran

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    #7 ferraridude615, Sep 20, 2007
    My respect for Juan Pablo is growing greater now, this was actually a great interview and he gave us info that nobody else could. Shows why Alonso absolutely hates it at McLaren and why he won't be there much longer.
     
  8. Mr Payne

    Mr Payne F1 Rookie

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    #8 Mr Payne, Sep 20, 2007
    Hmmm. So basically McLaren got screwed over for what happens daily in F1.
     
  9. Brakefade

    Brakefade Formula Junior

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    #9 Brakefade, Sep 20, 2007
    Unless Kimi wins it.
     
  10. SrfCity

    SrfCity F1 World Champ

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    #10 SrfCity, Sep 20, 2007
    I was wondering this too? It might be that rather then someone just coming to McL that McL had their people out there trying to find someone who would turn stuff like that over. Or, it could be the money thing but wouldn't that be a given?
     
  11. dretceterini

    dretceterini F1 Veteran

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    #11 dretceterini, Sep 20, 2007
    Pretty much so. Bernie needs to go.
     
  12. maxorido

    maxorido Formula 3

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    #12 maxorido, Sep 20, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Right, because that would have been great for Formula 1. Can you imagine how many fans would be turned off of F1 and stop watching if such an integral team with a long and rich history, with two of the most popular drivers was excluded? Some people don't give a crap about all the back room politics, some people, and I would say most fans, just like watching the racing.
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  13. fastback33

    fastback33 Formula 3

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    #13 fastback33, Sep 20, 2007
    Jesus, IMHO taking pictures and getting the exact spec's of a wing or chassis are two different things. I wouldn't call taking pictures "cheating". And as for sharing set-up secrets; Who cares? What setup works for one car won't necessarily work for another especially since they all run different chassis. This is a joke , this drama needs to end, and i can't wait for this season to be over.....
     
  14. Mr Payne

    Mr Payne F1 Rookie

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    #14 Mr Payne, Sep 20, 2007
    Very true.
     
  15. Senna1994

    Senna1994 F1 World Champ

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    #15 Senna1994, Sep 20, 2007
    Very funny James!!!!!!!!!
     
  16. Remy Zero

    Remy Zero Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #16 Remy Zero, Sep 20, 2007
    well, Juan predicted at the start of the season that Fred will leave the team after just one season. his reason? he says that Ron doesn't know how to manage the drivers properly, and thats one of the reason he left Mac last season.
     
  17. lucky_13_2002

    lucky_13_2002 F1 Rookie

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    #17 lucky_13_2002, Sep 20, 2007
    Watching racing?!
    What are you talking about? Even if you pulled both the Ferrari and the McCheaters out, it is still like watching a funeral possession our days. Formula 1 is getting so boring lately. The only action this season has been off the track and it is such a shame.
     
  18. PSk

    PSk F1 World Champ

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    #18 PSk, Sep 20, 2007
    Interesting ... as Ron Dennis is regarded my many as the best driver manager out there. How else do you think he managed to keep Senna through all those poor car years? In the end Montoya and RD just didn't get on ... probably because Montoya didn't consistently perform.

    Other than that, what he says is what I have been saying all along, cheating is rife in this sport and not just photos but discussions, etc. The documents have little to do with this case, this is a Ron Dennis versus the FIA/Ferrari political battle. We will never know the real story ...
    Pete
     
  19. scottjua

    scottjua Rookie

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    #19 scottjua, Sep 20, 2007
    awesome interview... a lot of good insight from someone who lived in the middle of it all. I never liked Montoya much on the track, but I think one thing I do like about him was his lack of covertness.
     
  20. racerx3317

    racerx3317 F1 Veteran

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    #20 racerx3317, Sep 20, 2007
    I think maybe he was a good driver manager in the past. This all seems to have gone out the window when it comes to Lewis. JPM got it dead right. He managed to keep Senna all those years because he had the contact to stay not Prost. Berger was quick but no match for Senna. The Williams only came dominant in 91 but the McLaren was close and Senna won the title. In 92 Williams wiped out everyone and in 93 Senna tried to go to Williams but was blocked (understandably so) by Prost. As soon as he had the chance he jumped for Williams and the best car he could get. There were only two years that the car wasn't competitive and if you take into account that in 93 he came in second in the championship and was fighting for wins as best he could that only really leaves 92 as a poor car year.
     
  21. rmani

    rmani F1 Veteran
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    #21 rmani, Sep 20, 2007
    good post that's an interesting interview to read. I never liked JPM but I agree with everything he says.
     
  22. snj5

    snj5 F1 World Champ

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    #22 snj5, Sep 21, 2007
    Very good and insightful interview. JPM really comes across very professionally and realisticallly -
     
  23. Remy Zero

    Remy Zero Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #23 Remy Zero, Sep 21, 2007
    Pete, it's not me who gave those comments, it's Monty. like you pointed out, how he managed to keep Senna, plus, how he managed to put up with Senna-Prost duel.
     
  24. Senna1994

    Senna1994 F1 World Champ

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    #24 Senna1994, Sep 21, 2007
    Good Post Luis, how have you been?
     
  25. senna21

    senna21 F1 Rookie

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    #25 senna21, Sep 21, 2007
    The pictures are used to render dimensions of the wing and then it's replicated from those dimensions. Once replicated it's tested. It's just a few extra steps than if someone were to give you oh, a few pages of specs on a wing. Both result in the same end. Testing out a competitors design and seeing if it results in any performance gain to you.
     
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