Montoya: Schumacher Should be Feeling Pressure

Juan Pablo Montoya laughed off suggestions on Saturday he was struggling to cope with the pressure of this year's world title run-in, saying Michael Schumacher had more reason to worry.

Montoya, Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen still have a chance of claiming the Drivers' Championship, with Sunday's penultimate Grand Prix in the United States followed by the season's finale at Suzuka, Japan, on October 12.

"Yes, I am so stressed," Montoya told reporters sarcastically after qualifying in fourth position for Sunday's race at Indianapolis. "I put myself under pressure to do well but I know I can only do my best. After that, what can you do?

"I think there is more pressure on (Schumacher)...Kimi and I are just young kids, at the beginning of our careers and trying to beat Michael as hard as we can. I'm not going to say Michael will retire next year but he has been here for a long time and before he retires he will want to stay on top."

Pole Position

While Montoya starts fourth in his Williams, Schumacher has to cope with seventh position on the grid while Raikkonen looks forward to capitalising on his pole position.

Montoya, who trails five-times World Champion Schumacher by three points in the standings, believes the only predictable aspect of the showdown at the Motor Speedway will be its quality.

"I think it will be a good race, the best we have seen at the US Grand Prix," he said. "But it is so unpredictable, so close."

He has a large contingent of Colombian fans urging him to take the title battle down to the last race of the year. "It's nice to see and a change from (the last Grand Prix at) Monza," the 28-year-old said. "Then, Michael had lots of support and I was the one getting booed."

At Monza, backmarkers hampered Montoya's challenge as Schumacher prevailed in what many described as a pivotal moment in the season. But Montoya refuses to panic about the same problem affecting the outcome on Sunday.

"(Backmarkers) can work in your favour or against you...maybe this time they will work for me," he said. "But they know to stay out of the way."