Montoya confesses why he left F1 bored

Posted by calimbo

Montoya confesses why he left F1 bored
Date: August 13, 2006 09:18PM
Posted by: calimbo

Registered: 20 years ago

This is an interview taken from colombian newspaper El Tiempo:

The colombian says the shoulder injury episode damaged his relationship with Mclaren. He believes Michael Schumacher will win the championship and will leave at the end of the season. "Is the best he could do". Although in the world of Nascar there's no too much technology, winning wont be that easy, he warns.

Juan Pablo Montoya, the biggest motorsport driver Colombia, has ever had in its history (Formula One: 7 wins, 13 pole positions, 30 podiums, 12 fastest laps, 94 races) Finally decided to tell everything and to answer all the questions about why he left F1.

He doesn't run from the controversy that exists on if he really quitted or was sacked: Is just (he addmits) his relationship with Ron Dennis, his boss y owner of McLaren, were awful. "We didn't even talk to each other".

There's people who says Montoya was defeated by his God-Status. He makes it clear, that people usually confusses total focus to the works with vain; shyness with vain too and "describe antipathy as the the right to privacy".

Montoya loves motorsport and loved Formula 1, but not some of its contents. "It's like loving a hospital, but being a doctor, not a patient". He's not longer blessing F1, for exist. "I decided to leave before starting to curse".

"I left because of boring -he adds-. I wasn't enjoying the races. I'd done everything of what I had to do and I acomplished all the goals I had. There was only winning a championship and I realised the chances to make it were minimal. Leave, was the best decision I could have taken.

Was it impossible to win the championship?
Not impossible, there was chances, but depends pretty much on what team are you.

With other words, you couldn't have done it with McLaren.
No, it was too difficult

Then why boredom?
Be figthing for 5th places wasn't fun. I wanted a new challenge. Nasacar is a new one. Different, fresh. I can have 10-15 years more in my career. It's another world, more relaxed, people is kinder. It's another story.

But this 5th or 6th place in race, what did that: the car or boredom?
The car conducted me to boredom. My partner finished 5th and 6th too. We were finishing always the same places. Not me, but the car.

Why did you stop being the leader?
I had a lot of trouble with the car, there were made a lot of changes, there were a lot of failures.

Ron Dennis, your boss, was your friend?
I didn't even talk to him. When i left, his attorney called mine and said: "this is what we'll do". That's how it was done: lawyer to lawyer.

How and when did you take the decision of leaving?
I was too bored. One day I called Ron Dennis and I said: "Hey, Ron, I want you to know that today we're going to announce that I'm leaving, I'll race in Nascar with Chip Ganassi and I want you to know it before it's public...".

And what did he said?
Ok

That's it?
The conversation didn't last 20 seconds, there was nothing else to talk about.

This shows your relationship with him wasn't good.
Out of work, yes. Professionaly, no.

Didn´t he make any attempt to retain you?
No.

But you had a contract till the end of the championship and he announced, his desire to fullfill it...
That's right.

Why your retirement was quick? Were you sacked?
They said they were worried about my concetration because, now with a Nascar contract, my atention wasn't going to be in Formula One. For them was important look after their future, and for me to focus on mine.

Didn't you feel mistreated with that?
No. The two fo us said: "Let's finish this just right away". It's like when your boss doesn't want you anymore. Even if you kill yourself working, and they want to sack you, they'll sack you. You fullfill the goals, but if your boss´eyes don't want to see you anymore, they wont.

Your relationship with Ron Dennis was always bad?
The relationship with Ron was really good untill when I broke my shoulder. I called him and I told him what happened. English press went out with another story and they started to make fun of Ron for believing my story. And he thought that I make him look in front of the world as an idiot. Since then, the trust wasn't the same.

And how sis you see that they called De La Rosa to replace you inmediatelly?
Is just that they had no one else. Who else they were going to call?

Who's going to win the championship?
I think Michael and if he wins, I think he's going to retire. It's intelligent for him to do it.

Why?
Because it could happen to him what I avoid. Michael loves to race and, with everything he has done, he can't retire losing. He has beaten everybody.

When did you ake the decision to retire?
I had this choices: Another chance in Formula One, racing in Cart, go to Nascar, or retire from motorsport. One night I called Chip to say hi. The conversation in english was more or less like this. He says: "What else..." I told him "What else, Ganassi. What are you doing?". Then he says: "Oh Montoya, What are you doing?". And i said: "Not much. what are you doing?". And he said to me..."I'm looking for a driver...". And that's how all started. We settled everything up and that was it!

But you had a lot od problems with Ganassi when you where in Formula Cart...
We had a lot of fights and problems, because he said things in your face, and that virtue few people has.

Chip worked with you in Cart. Was he ever in Formula One?
No, and he wont like to go there.

You said just a moment ago that Chip's advantage is that he says things in your face...
Yes. If he doesn't like something, he say it. There's people who prefer to keep those things and then they bury the knife.

You suffer that?
I lived it, of course.

From a competitor, or your boss?
I don't know. I forgot it...

What is Nascar, How's Nascar?
Zero Technology, They are just V8 engines, american style. They are steel cars, tubular big cars. You are like in a cage, in a carbon seat for protection and it has tyres as big as this.

How many competitors are in one race?
Thirty eight to forty cars. The double of Formula One.

When does it start?
9th of february. That's when everything starts and finish in november. There's 36 weekends from 52 of the year.

How much time takes a race?
2 hours. The long ones takes 4 hours and a half. Formula one is like an hour and a quarter.

Where's the next Formula One race?
I don't know

You don't want to know anything else about Formula One?
I already unplugged myself from that world. I didn't even watched last weekend's race...

Would you like to see a race; Go to the brazilian GP, which you won for example?
No, to what? seven or eight hour in plane to go and no cheering anybody? Nooo....

Chip hired you because he apreciates you?
No. Because he believes that I can do the job right and he wants to win.

Why people thinks your are so unpleasant?
I come to Colombia three times in the year for a week. I ask myself: Where does they get those stories if they don't even see me? I go to a few places and I play Golf just me. I don't go with people. That's why it's sad to hear that unpleasant story, when the only thing that I do is to place Colombia's name high. People talk about my country for things different of Killing and drugs. Colombia has given me so much and I'm trying to give back to my country what I've had received.

But you don't have too many friends...
I'm person of not too much friends...Very few friends. Maybe that's the problem. I'm not the party guy. When I'm in a restaurant and they ask me for an autograph i give it...But let me finish my dinner first!

Do you feel you can win in Nascar?
That's the idea, but I know it's going to be hard. One guy from the team, which I've been talking to told me: "If in your first five races you finish with the first tewnty, you'll be the @#$%& devil".

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/2006 09:19PM by calimbo.