McLaren downplay Montoya's troubled race

The Colombian driver endured another disappointing race after crashing with Williams rival Nico Rosberg while fighting for fifth place at the start of the race.

The incident saw Rosberg retiring while Montoya was forced to pit for repairs, which relegated him to the back of the field.

Montoya retired a few laps later after hitting the 'wall of champions', completing a dismal Sunday.

Whitmarsh suggested Montoya's aggressive race was linked with the fact the he is yet to secure a seat for 2007.

"I am sure Juan Pablo knows that he has got to perform at the moment. He wants to put himself in the best possible light for a seat here or a seat anywhere, and therefore he wants to perform," said Whitmarsh.

"In the position he was in he took some risks and if they come off then you're a hero and if they don't then you have got to question yourself, but I don't think we are too disappointed that he was trying to make progress and trying to make a race of it.

"From where he was he needed to be reasonably aggressive at the beginning and he went out to do that. I am sure Monty and Nico have got different views on what happened in terms of the attribution of blame.

"Nico had straightlined the chicane so was clearly under some pressure and I am sure that Juan Pablo feels that at that point, having straightlined it, he should have given way and Nico will say that he was doing his best to stay in front.

"Juan drove a very spirited stint with a very heavy car and I think you have got to take some risks when you are back there, although he was making reasonable headway and with obviously a conversion of one-stop he could have come through and got some solid points, but he pushed hard, made a mistake and that was the end of his race."

Montoya is currently in sixth place in the drivers' standings, 13 points behind teammate Kimi Raikkonen.