Team baffled by Montoya problems

The Ganassi driver has generally been on the front row on the road and street courses this season. This time, he is struggling with a serious lack of grip and is over a second off the pace.

The problem seems to be caused by the mixed surface of the Toronto course. The tarmac is interspersed with patches of concrete. These have been sandblasted to make them rougher for this season, theoretically increasing the cars' traction. In practice however, the changes have just destroyed the tyres and done little to help the handling.

Experienced engineer Mo Nunn admits to being stumped by Montoya's problems:

'We went quicker today, but we don't have it together,' he admitted. 'Right now, we haven't figured it out.'

Montoya has won four races in his rookie season already, the only driver to have won more than once. He has been a contender for victory in every race since round two at Motegi in April and came into the Toronto meeting with an 18-point lead over Michael Andretti.