Disappointed Montoya Vows to Fight On

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya has vowed to fight on despite losing out to rival Michael Schumacher in today's Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Schumacher's 50th win for the champions, at their home circuit in front of a roaring army of fans, and Montoya's second place for Williams kept the closest and most thrilling Championship in years on a knife-edge.

The German has 82 points to Montoya's 79. McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen, the third title contender, finished fourth behind Schumacher's team mate Rubens Barrichello and has 75.

The fastest circuit in Formula One also produced the fastest race in Formula One history, Schumacher winning with an average speed of 247 kph and showing all his fighting spirit to keep Montoya's Williams at bay.

Separated at times by just a fraction of a second, the two had lined up on the front row of the grid in a showdown that saw them racing wheel to wheel through the first sequence of corners. Throwing caution to the winds, when any mistake could potentially have cost either the title, neither seemed prepared to give way.

The Williams nosed ahead, edging the Ferrari towards the run-off, but Schumacher held the line.

"In the last stint we were pretty close and then I got traffic. There were very slow backmarkers that didn't move out of the way," said the Colombian. "But I think that it would have been very hard to pass Michael anyway.

"I think I came out of here with the least loss possible. I only lost two points, nothing's over."