rpm.espn.com: Users: Titles are in Motoya's future

ESPN Network: ESPN.com \| RPM \| NBA.com \| NHL.com \| ESPNdeportes \| ABCSports \| WNBA.com \| FANTASY

Tuesday, January 15
Users: Titles are in Motoya's future
ESPN.com

Here's what users had to say about Williams' Juan Montoya and his future prospects:

Montoya is tough and extremely quick. I need to see Juan excel throughout the whole year before I am sold on his talent. Races such as Montreal, Monaco and Hungary were disasters that cannot happen this year. The Williams pilots will be fun to watch though, but Michael and Ferrari are too good and will win the championship again.

Adam
Akron, Ohio

Of course Montoya can win the title and, honestly, is the only driver that can put pressure on Michael Schumacher. His only problem last year wasn't driver mistakes but blown motors, which can't be controlled, that knocked him out of more races than driving errors. I think he will definitely be Williams' No. 1 driver this season, since Ralf Schumacher can't be competitive over a full season, which he's shown the past two seasons with Williams.

Matt Embury
Saint Joseph, Mich.

Juan Pablo Montoya will be the Williams team leader by the end of 2002. He will out qualify Ralf and win more races than Ralf but will not be able to take the championship away from the red cars.

Steve Broughton
Indianapolis

The only person that will keep Juan Pablo from being a serious title contender is Sir Frank Williams. If he taps Ralf as number one, Juan will have to move aside or see his career at Williams cut seriously short. Juan has the talent, the question is does he have the blessing of the car owner this year.

Colin Shaw
Monrovia, Calif.

Juan Montoya is one of those rare, "natural" drivers that arrive once a decade or two. Most of his problems from last season stemmed from mechanical errors, and the limitations of the car -- not from his own driving abilities. He will surpass Ralf and give Michael a run for his money.

Jason Grande
Glen Allen, Va.

Juan will definitely be a force to be reckoned with this year. I think he will be fully focused and ready to roll. He will pick up where he left off last year. The real question is, "How good is the new Williams/BMW car going to be?" If the car is fast and reliable, then JPM should have no problem giving the Schumachers a run for the title. I hope the title is a much closer battle than last year. Someone needs to dethrone Michael (and fast), and JPM is just the guy to do it.

Matthew Conners
Las Vegas

Montoya will not only challenge Schumacher in 2002, he will rob him of his title. Juan's time has arrived. Besides, who isn't tired of seeing Michael's mug on the podium week after week. It is time for someone to breathe some new life into a series that has been nothing short of boring the past few seasons. Juan is the right man for the job.

Michael McGill
San Diego

Juan Montoya is the man -- hands down. These reports that he needs one more year of seasoning before he is a title contender are crap. He won the CART championship in his rookie season and dominated the Indy 500 is his one and only try. Juan will be champion for 2002 ... you heard it here first.

Kaaveh Akbari
Indianapolis

JP is quicker and more aggressive in the pack than Ralf and he has already beaten Ralf in the "psyco babble" game by becoming Frank's favorite. Ralf will always suspect that JP is receiving superior equipment.

Ross Cunningham
Miami

Montoya will have a breakout year, but as long as Michael and David are there a championship won't happen -- unless alot of mistakes are made. A year from now, I think I will make a more positive prediction.

Troy VandeVelde
Charlotte, N.C.

Oh boy, I don't know if Montoya can offer a serious challenge to Michael Schumacher in 2002, but I DO think it's going to be fun to watch! That he will challenge the drivers at the top is a given; harnessing all that talent and aggressiveness into the right channels will be the true test of how well he does. Ultimately, Juan Montoya will be a champion.

Judy La Londe
Indianapolis

Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

	Driver Spotlight: Juan Montoya F1 off-season driver spotlight index