BMW keen on Montoya for 2000

BMW motorsport director Gerhard Berger told this week's Autosport magazine that he would opt for Montoya.

'It is up to Frank [Williams, team owner] to sign the drivers, but of course it is not that we don't care about who gets the drive.

'Concerning Zanardi, one might have to face the fact that 2000 would be a repetition of 1999. Not very encouraging.

'I would go for Juan Pablo Montoya. What has he got to gain in Champ Car racing? He won the title in his first year, he won a bunch of races, he can only lose in 2000.

'On the other hand, he could combine his first full year in Grand Prix racing - which is always a year of learning - with ours, which will most definitely be the same.'

Montoya, who was test driver at Williams before joining Ganassi Racing in 1999, is under contract for another year. But there is an expensive buy-out clause which the F1 team could use.

Last week, Autosport magazine exclusively revealed that Zanardi has split from the Williams team just one year into a two-year contract.

Despite arriving back in Formula One as double CART champion at the beginning of the season, the Italian has failed to score a single point.

Read this week's edition of Autosport magazine for more on this story.