Berger Praises 'Superstar' Montoya

Gerhard Berger has branded Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya a "superstar" after the Williams driver claimed his first victory in Formula One in Monza last weekend.

BMW motorsport director Berger, a former Grand Prix winner, hailed the transition Montoya, 26 on Thursday, has made since switching from CART and claimed he has what it takes to be a World Champion.

"Does he have charisma as a superstar?" Berger said of the Colombian. "He has it, and everybody likes to see him as a superstar. He won races in the States and came into Formula One, pushed by the media, as a superstar. Then, you have to deliver. And if you don't deliver, you get into difficulties.

"You have to use the tools you have in Formula One, things you don't have in other categories, and for this you just need time and experience. At the beginning of the season there were some other guys suggesting he would be one second quicker than the others, and of course he didn't meet those expectations.

"But I think he's doing a good job. He's very talented and he has good car control."

Montoya scored his Formula One win after fifteen Grands Prix, and is currently lying in fifth place in the drivers' standings with 25 points.