Montoya Hopes to Join McLaren before Christmas

Juan Pablo Montoya said on Friday that he expects his Williams-BMW team to hand him the chance to test with new team McLaren-Mercedes before the end of the year even though he will still be linked to the Williams team.

Montoya announced that he will move to McLaren in 2005 but will remain contracted to his current team for public relations appearances right up to the end of 2004. He is keen to get behind the wheel of his new car before then, however, and is confident that the two rival teams will come to an agreement for him to make an early switch.

"The teams are talking about it," he said. "There is a test at the end of the year. I still have PR commitments with Williams until the end of the year but I think driving-wise I should be driving the car hopefully before Christmas."

Colombian Montoya and his Williams team have struggled to perform in recent races and has just one fourth-place finish and two fifth-place finishes to show from the last five Grands Prix.

Despite the difficulties he insisted his commitment to his mechanics remains strong but admitted he is eagerly looking forward to forging new relationships at his new team.

"I made quite good relationships and friendships at Williams and those people are still around," he said. "I am going to work with other people and create new relationships so it should be okay.

"Of course you are going to miss some people and everything - but in life you have got to move on, you know, and I am really looking forward to doing it again."