JV & JPM: CART paddock too busy

Former CART champions Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve say more fans should be shut out of the paddock at Champ Car races.

Formula 1 has been accused of being elitist, while CART praises itself on being more accessible to the fans, however Montoya and Villeneuve believe F1 has a better working environment for drivers.

Montoya was stunned by the number of fans that packed the CART paddock at the recent Champ Car race at Rockingham in England.

"The atmosphere is a lot more relaxed there, and it's quite amazing," said the Colombian. "Some people complain because they don't allow people here (in F1) in the paddock, but there's too many people in the CART paddock - you can't even walk!

"It was quite tough, you know, because it was mainly English fans there, and they are Formula 1 fans too, so it's something new for them to see you walking in the paddock."

Villeneuve was not at last week's inaugural Champ Car race at Corby in Northamptonshire - but he agreed with Montoya.

"Yes, definitely. The fans probably feel better because they can walk down the paddock in CART, but it just makes your life very difficult when you're trying to work professionally," he said. "So as a driver, I enjoy being in the F1 paddock a lot more just because we can concentrate on our work better."