 | BRITISH GRAND PRIX 1 J Montoya (McLaren)
2 F Alonso (Renault)
3 K Raikkonen (McLaren)
4 G Fisichella (Renault)
5 J Button (BAR)
6 M Schumacher (Ferrari)
7 R Barrichello (Ferrari)
8 R Schumacher (Toyota) |
Juan Pablo Montoya said his daring challenge on Fernando Alonso on the first lap of the British Grand Prix ultimately gave him victory. "Fernando couldn't risk too much and I could risk a bit more and that was where the race was won," said Montoya.
"If we went side by side into Becketts (corner), either one of us was going to back off or we were going to go off.
"The chances were that he was going to back off before me. He was fighting for the championship, I wasn't."
The race at Silverstone was dictated by the first few seconds with Montoya challenging Alonso in a wheel-to-wheel test of his mettle.
Alonso, starting on pole position for the fourth time in 11 races, had no reply as Montoya's McLaren surged from third place on the grid to run alongside the Renault through the first corner before making the move stick.
|  It was no time to take a risk on the first lap of a 60-lap race |
"It was pretty cool - we got pretty close in the first corner," added the Colombian, whose team-mate Kimi Raikkonen came third after starting 12th on the grid due to a 10-place penalty for an engine change.
"We nearly touched. I backed off just enough to avoid crashing."
In the end, Alonso had to settle for second on the podium but believed he did the right thing on the opening corner.
"It was no time to take a risk on the first lap of a 60-lap race," said the Spaniard, who is 26 points clear in the world championship standings.
"I knew Juan Montoya would not lift off and I had better lift off or we would crash."
MMIX
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