Brawn: Montoya Could Face Tough Times in 2004

Juan Pablo Montoya could face tough times at Williams in 2004, Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn believes.

McLaren announced last month that the Colombian star will join the team in 2005, and speculations have since been rife on whether Montoya will be able to continue working with his current team Williams through the next season.

"It's going to be a difficult year for Montoya and the people around him," Brawn commented in an interview with BBC Radio. "A lot will depend on how competitive Williams are and the competition between their two drivers.

"If Williams are extremely competitive and run away with the Championship, Juan Pablo could get on well. But if it's a tense Championship and there's tension between [Montoya and Ralf Schumacher], it's hard to see the situation not surfacing frequently."

Brawn also gave the example of World Champion Michael Schumacher, who announced he was leaving Benetton for Ferrari during the 1995 season. Brawn, who was technical director of Benetton at the time, joined Schumacher in Ferrari only a year later.

"When Michael announced he was leaving Benetton to join Ferrari things were not so easy," Brawn said. "You wondered where his mind is - is his mind on the future, or on now? And you can't build things because you're not building with him for the future."

Montoya debuted in Formula One with Williams in 2001. He was also test driver for the Grove-based outfit since 1998.