Montoya Accuses Barrichello of Foul Tactics
Juan Pablo Montoya accused Rubens Barrichello of blocking him in order to help Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher win the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Juan Pablo Montoya accused Rubens Barrichello of blocking him in order to help Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher win the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.
"It was a shame I came out of the last pitstop behind Rubens," fumed Montoya, a good friend of the Brazilian, after finishing second for Williams. "I got a bit of a run on him and as soon as I moved he closed the door straight away and his pace backed off."
Asked if he thought Barrichello was guilty of a "dirty move", the Colombian shrugged. "Yeah. As soon as I went to move he moved and there was no point even trying to pass. There were 12 laps to go, I had new tyres so I just backed off and cruised."
Montoya, currently involved in a feud with Williams teammate Ralf Schumacher after the pair clashed at the season-opening race in Melbourne, insisted Barrichello had cost him a legitimate shot at victory.
"At the end we backed off the revs, we backed off everything when Rubens got in the way. I went to pass him and he blocked me," said Montoya, who finished just over five seconds behind race winner Schumacher.
"If I hadn't had Rubens in the last stint, I think we could have been quite a bit closer because at the end I was really cruising."
A collision between the two South Americans in Indianapolis last year ended Montoya's title chances. Montoya, third behind Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen in the championship standings in 2003, took eight points to improve to 12 this season.
Schumacher has a perfect 20 points after winning in Melbourne too, with Barrichello on 13.
"In a non-Ferrari, it's better to back off than to go out of the race. It's better to go home with eight points," said Montoya, who will drive for McLaren in 2005. "Last year I think I had 12 points after five races. I have got 12 points now from two races. It's like last year - keep scoring points and see what happens in the end."
How Albon made the most of his second F1 chance with Williams
Cast aside by Red Bull at the end of 2020, Alex Albon knew a second shot in Formula 1 would be hard to come by. But after a year on the sidelines, he grabbed his redemption chance at Williams.
Mercedes drivers react to wild Bathurst 12 Hours clash
There was understanding between drivers, but frustrations levelled at race officials, following the all-Mercedes clash that decided the outcome of the Bathurst 12 Hour.
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
Horner: Red Bull faces "significant handicap" with F1 aero testing restrictions
Red Bull faces a “significant handicap” for 2023 due to the aerodynamic testing restrictions imposed after winning the Formula 1 world championship and exceeding the cost cap, says team boss Christian Horner.
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
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.