Head: Montoya raised his game

Williams-BMW's technical director Patrick Head says the reason Juan Pablo Montoya put Ralf Schumacher in the shade in the latter part of the Grand Prix season was that the Colombian got quicker as the season developed

Head denied that Schumacher - who won three races at Imola, Canada and Hockenheim - got slower as a result of trying to match Montoya's pace, which netted the Colombian victory in the Italian Grand Prix.

"I don't think Ralf got any slower," said Head. "I think Juan's raised his game quite a bit, and one or two things haven't worked out for Ralf at the end of the year. But I'm very confident both of them will start next year just as strong as each other."

Head insists that there has been no friction between the two as a result of what has happened on track, but that paddock gossip has fuelled talk of a rift between the two.

"It gives fun for journalists on the outside, going to one driver and saying, 'The other guy thinks you're an arsehole, what do you have to say?' There's plenty of potential for fun, but I'd rather have two quick guys in the team than one quick one and one slow one," he said.

For full Patrick Head Q&A, click here.