Berger: Montoya Must Work Harder

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya has been warned that he must raise his game and improve his technical ability if he wants to wrestle the crown from World Champion Michael Schumacher.

Montoya stunned the field in his debut season two years ago but failed to come up to scratch against a dominant Michael Schumacher last year as the dominant Ferrari team left their rivals trailing, winning 15 out of 17 races.

BMW boss Gerhard Berger has warned that Montoya will have to work harder this year to prove his worth.

"He has to work harder to get the maximum out of his car," said Berger, a former Formula One driver himself. "I believe he can do the same as Michael (Schumacher) on the driving side - there is nothing to say about this area.

"But car set-up is the only area I can think of where he could improve and I think it's a question of how - he is lacking a bit of experience."

Montoya - who has just one victory to his name - failed to win a race last season despite claiming seven pole positions. He finished third in the Championship but managed to amass just one third of the points of rival Schumacher.

The Colombian star knows he must improve and admitted: "I want to raise my game as far as I can. It's not only to show people what I can do - it's mainly for myself. It's like a personal challenge."