Rookie year unexpected, says Montoya

Formula 1's star rookie Juan Pablo Montoya says he did not expect to be as near to the sharp end of the grid this year - his maiden season in the sport

The Williams-BMW ace scored one win and three pole positions during his first season in Grand Prix racing. And after finishing 2001 with a flourish, the Colombian is being hailed as the most likely successor to reigning world champion Michael Schumacher.

However, Montoya claims that he did not expect to enjoy so much success and he has admitted that the biggest test for him this year has been adjusting to the mental strains of F1, after two years in the more relaxed atmosphere of the US-based Champ Car series.

"The positive surprise is all the poles I've done so far and the win," said Montoya. "I didn't really expect to win in my first season. The atmosphere is a lot more tense [in F1 than in Champ Cars]. You've got to be a lot stronger mentally. I think I consider myself quite strong mentally, and it didn't really affect me. But it took me a while to really focus in the car in what I had to do."

Montoya believes that despite the actual driving in F1 and CART being similar, out of the car the differences are huge and that F1 is surprisingly closed off.

"You've got to be a lot stronger [in F1] because in CART the atmosphere is a lot more friendly," Montoya added. "In the car is very similar and you've got to push the car to its limits, both cars are very physical, but I think outside the car... In CART everybody talks to everybody, everybody is friendly. Here you don't even cross a word with anybody. You're there by yourself."