Montoya: F1 was tougher than expected

In an exclusive interview published in this week's AUTOSPORT magazine, Montoya looks back at his first year in Grand Prix racing and discusses the highs and lows of the 17 races.

Montoya joined F1 direct from the US-based Champ Car series and admits the transition was not easy, despite having previously been a Williams test driver. "It's one thing to test, which I had done for the team before, but it's a very different game when you are actually a race driver in F1. The level goes up on a race weekend.

"It is a very hard job, F1. It really took me a while to come to terms with it and that really surprised me. It's very difficult to drive the car. The competition is really high and it took a long time to make everything work the way I really wanted it to."

In an insightful interview, Montoya also talks about:
overcoming his struggles in F1
His action-packed breakthrough in the Brazilian GP
His thoughts on racing against Michael Schumacher
Dealing with team mate Ralf Schumacher

For the full lowdown on Montoya's rookie season, see this week's AUTOSPORT magazine, on sale tomorrow (Thursday).