JPM 'will stay motivated'
BMW motorsport boss Mario Theissen believes that Juan Pablo Montoya will remain committed to winning the world championship for Williams next season, despite the announcement that the Colombian will race for McLaren Mercedes in 2005
Montoya will remain with the BMW-powered team for a fourth season next year and is widely expected to challenge for the championship, having finished third in the final standings this year. But Theissen doesn't believe Montoya's eventual departure from the team will hinder his title bid.
"You don't get the chance to win a World Championship title every day," said Theissen. "If the chance is there, you must take it. Juan knows that too. I'm convinced that he will be just as motivated in 2004 as he's been up to now."
Theissen said that he can understand why Montoya would choose to leave Williams. "At the end of 2004, Juan will have been driving for our team for four years," he said. "It's quite normal to think about switching teams after that period of time."
Theissen added that it was too early to talk about who might replace Montoya in the team. He said: "We'll talk about the quality of the new drivers' duo when the decision is final."
Marquez: "Time will tell" if Honda MotoGP changes are enough
Marquez: "Time will tell" if Honda MotoGP changes are enough Marquez: "Time will tell" if Honda MotoGP changes are enough
Golden autumn in the Green Hell: October's Nurburgring highlights
Golden autumn in the Green Hell: October's Nurburgring highlights Golden autumn in the Green Hell: October's Nurburgring highlights
Horner: Red Bull must try to keep "riding the wave" of 2023 F1 success
Horner: Red Bull must try to keep "riding the wave" of 2023 F1 success Horner: Red Bull must try to keep "riding the wave" of 2023 F1 success
MotoGP Japanese GP: Martin cuts Bagnaia's points lead with sprint win
MotoGP Japanese GP: Martin cuts Bagnaia's points lead with sprint win MotoGP Japanese GP: Martin cuts Bagnaia's points lead with sprint win
When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle
When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose
The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose
How football has posed difficult questions for F1
How football has posed difficult questions for F1 How football has posed difficult questions for F1
The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1
The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1 The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1
Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023 Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip
How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip
Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out
Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.