Montoya sent to the back of the Monaco grid (f1)

[Shiba-Kun]

If open wheel racing = inherently dangerous, then IMO to but people at risk just because you're a bit put off is craziness. What a egocentric thing to do.


Montoya sent to the back of the Monaco grid

Saturday May 21 2005

Juan Pablo Montoya will start Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix from the back of the grid after the Monte Carlo race stewards deleted his Qualifying One time.
Montoya had claimed P5 in the opening qualifying session, clocking a 1:14.858 during his flying lap. However, that was later deleted when the race stewards found him guilty of causing an accident that brought Practice Four to a premature conclusion earlier in the day.

Stewards investigated the accident, which occurred when Montoya appeared to brake-test Ralf Schumacher after the German “disturbed” his flying lap.

"As his (Montoya) progress was impeded in a minor manner, he braked and took exception to his lap being disturbed and subsequently drove unnecessarily slowly in a very fast part of the track," the stewards said.

"With the result that Jacques Villeneuve, who was also on a fast lap, was unable to stop and hit the rear of David Coulthard's car which then went into Ralf Schumacher's."

Coulthard agreed with the stewards’ assessment.

"I was following Ralf out of the pits and he was already a little bit up the straight when he got his blue flag," the Red Bull driver told ITV.

"He moved over but it's very difficult to be flat and overtake a car going up the hill, so naturally Juan Pablo had to back off. It's a feature of Monaco, but what Montoya did in reaction to that is ridiculous -- he slowed right down beside Ralf, went in front and brake-tested him.”

"Then there was a concertina effect and Jacques coming up the hill unsighted because you're kind of peering over the top of the cockpit and he goes straight into the back of me. There's no question that that sort of behaviour should be penalised."

[Hotlavaaaa]

Montoya is a douchebag to the highest degree. I saw a montage yesterday where the media was asking a number of drivers the same question about the Ferrari situation and Montoya's response was "I don't care" and I just found that to be the most egotistical comment. Montoya needs to realize that he has not accomplished all that much in F1 and he needs to show some respect for his fellow competitors and the media.

[Shiba-Kun]

Open up their telemetry to the press, that'll obsolve Montoya if he really didn't brake test Ralf. If he made his passing move then braked in front of Ralf in a location where that wouldn't be necessary then...


Villeneuve: 'Montoya could have killed me'

Sunday May 22 2005

An angry Jacques Villeneuve has accused Juan-Pablo of putting lives at risk with his “stupid and dangerous” driving in Saturday practice at Monaco.
The McLaren driver has been sent to the back of the grid after being found guilty by the race stewards of causing "a completely avoidable accident" when he apparently brake-tested his former Williams team-mate Ralf Schumacher.

Jacques in turn hit the back of David Coulthard’s Red Bull, which had been forced to slow down by Montoya’s manoeuvre.

" It could have left me and a few people in the hotel dead. You have to say it was extremely dangerous. I'm just lucky I hit David's gearbox instead of hitting his rear wheel," said Villeneuve. "If it stops people doing stupid, dangerous stuff then it's a good thing. You shouldn't go at 80kph in a sport where you are normally at 280kph and in a blind place like that. It's just ridiculous. You have to remember that there are other people on the track, that's all."

Montoya, however, has continued to insist it wasn’t a deliberate offence.

"I'm really disappointed that they took any action. I was going up the hill and Ralf got in front of me and nearly hit me.

"The only reason I pulled in front was because I was behind Ralf and he slowed down. The only reason I did it was to avoid an accident. People assumed I did a brake test."