Fittipaldi tips Montoya to shine

Fittipaldi made an unsuccessful switch to NASCAR after his Champ Car and Formula One careers and only competed in 16 races for Petty Enterprises between 2002 and 2003.

However, he believes the ability Montoya showed in his Champ Car days proved he will be adaptable to the sport when he joins Chip Ganassi Racing next season.

"When Montoya raced in America, his strong point wasn't so much on road courses but on ovals, despite not having specific experience on that kind of tracks," Fittipaldi told Autosprint.

"He could go immediately fast, with amazing car control, which is not easy when you have to control, for example, sudden oversteering at 350km/h; after that you need plenty of laps to get your heartbeat back to normal.

"So, in my opinion, he has the talent to do well in NASCAR where, except for a couple of road courses, the rest are all speedways and super speedways."

Fittipaldi has warned however that the Colombian will have to calm his renowned temperament in the cockpit if he is to succeed.

"He will have to keep his temper under check and he will have to have lots of patience to understand the car, and also to find other drivers who get on well with him," Fittipaldi added.

"On the very fast super speedways, for example, it's vital to catch each other's draft, otherwise even if you have the best car you'll be the slowest of all.

"He'll have to learn to find other drivers who get on well with him to do that. And he'll also have to be careful not to make a mess with the rest, because if you try that then the rest will do it to you.

"And he's a nervous guy, that's why I'm saying he'll have to be patient, very patient."