|
 |
 | | You are in: Motorsport: Formula One |
 | |  Monday, 1 April, 2002, 02:31 GMT 03:31 UK Rash Montoya to blame  Montoya was not patient enough after a poor start BBC motor racing correspondent Jonathan Legard says Juan Pablo Montoya should learn from his mistake at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Juan Pablo Montoya was wronged in Malaysia by a heavy-handed penalty but in Brazil he had only himself to blame for his latest clash with Michael Schumacher. His first mistake was a stuttering start from pole position which allowed Schumacher to get close. Then instead of choosing his moment wisely to hit the front again, he committed the classic driving offence and hit the back of the Ferrari as it lined up for the next turn. The innocent victim of Jos Verstappen's collision last year became the guilty party this time round - on almost exactly the same part of the track.
The race was less than four corners old. There were 70 laps to go. Williams were on the performance-enhancing Michelin tyres and Michael Schumacher was driving the new Ferrari for the first time in race trim but Montoya couldn't wait and blew his chances. His recovery from 20th to 5th was admirable and everything you'd expect from him but look who won, and more pointedly which driver came second. Ralf Schumacher doesn't make headlines like Montoya but he picks up more points and ultimately that gives him a better chance of a world championship. His critics will argue that if Montoya had been chasing his brother to the flag, Williams might have been celebrating back to back wins. But Michael Schumacher paced himself supremely. As he admitted, he was driving to protect his lead not to extend it.
He knew what he had to do and crucially he knew how to achieve it. And his new car didn't let him down. That's why he's leading the championship - as he has done since September 2000. Almost certainly the first lap incidents between Montoya and Michael Schumacher in Malaysia and now Brazil won't be the last. The series is great box office and long may it continue. It fuels Formula One as much as the spats between Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, and their respective football teams, are driving the Premiership towards such a thrilling climax. Of course, Schumacher's an old hand at being on the receiving end of rivals' outrage. Montoya merely goes to the top of a list that includes Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and David Coulthard. When he was still making his name in the mid 1990s, in an inferior car, Schumacher may have allowed himself to become too embroiled in trading insults. Now, four times a champion driving arguably the class car of the field, the German lets others do the shouting. He prefers winning. And after Brazil, he's now won 55 races - almost double the rest of the grid put together. Personal glory According to Ferrari's technical director, Ross Brawn, both Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello will be driving the new F2002 cars at the San Marino Grand Prix in two weeks. Rather than dwell on his sense of injustice at Interlagos, Montoya would be best advised channelling his energies setting the record straight at Imola - where his Williams team-mate won last year. Williams are leading the Constructors Championship but Montoya wants personal glory too. After he qualified on pole on Saturday he was asked what he thought of the front cover of Bernie Ecclestone's F1 Magazine which asked, Which Schumacher Will Be World Champion? Montoya paused, grimaced then answered, "Might be wrong!" It's in his power to prove that by putting a lot right in Europe's first race of the season in two weeks. | |
Other top Formula One stories:  Links to more Formula One stories are at the foot of the page. | |||||||||||||||||
 | | | | |
|
Links to more Formula One stories |
| ||
 | ^^ Back to top | |
| Front Page | Football | Cricket | Rugby Union | Rugby League | Tennis | Golf | Motorsport | Boxing | Athletics | Other Sports | Sports Talk | In Depth | Photo Galleries | TV & Radio | BBC Pundits | Question of Sport | Funny Old Game ------------------------------------------------------------ BBC News >> | BBC Weather >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © MMII|News Sources|Privacy | ||
E-mail this story to a friend