Team: Williams
Nationality: Colombian
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| | Montoya |
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STATS
|
Year
|
Rank
|
Wins
|
Poles
|
Podium
|
Best finish
|
|
2002
|
3
|
0
|
7
|
7
|
2nd
|
|
Career
|
|
1
|
10
|
10
|
1st
|
2002 Recap
The Good: Juan Pablo Montoya was the best of the rest behind the Ferrari duo and placed third in the points. He was very, very quick in qualifying, and he and Michael Schumacher each earned seven poles. In the early part of the season, Montoya had some great wheel-to-wheel battles with Schumacher.
Season Highlight: Montoya drove a blazing race in Malaysia, on a track he loves, and could have won but for a penalty (which even Schumacher thought was unfair) for colliding with the Ferrari driver. Montoya twice charged up through the field and ended up second behind teammate Ralf Schumacher.
The Bad: The 2002 Williams BMW was not, technical director Patrick Head admitted, on par with the 2002 Ferrari. While the Williams and Montoya were quick in qualifying, Montoya and the team and car had difficulty in translating that into a race winner.
Season Lowlight: The Hungarian Grand Prix. Montoya qualified fourth on track he hates and finished a distant 11th, one lap down after a
collision on lap one.
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| Montoya aims to turn his poles into wins in 2003. |
Key Stat: Seven poles and no wins.
2003 Outlook
What needs to be done: Head says Montoya still lacks the focus to channel his incredible talent into a season-long winning package. Montoya is an amazing driver, but it is going to take a lot of hard work and application day in and day out to beat Schumacher out of the championship. On the car front, Williams BMW needs to make a big step to get on terms with Ferrari.
Prediction: Montoya will win at least two races in 2003.
Your Take
Here are your thoughts on Montoya's prospects for 2003. Will he win races? Will he put the heat on Schumacher?
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