Williams' Montoya wounded by Arrow hit

Williams' Montoya wounded by Arrow hit
Alan Baldwin

SAO PAULO, April 2: Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya kept calm on Sunday after Jos Verstappen ended his hopes of a sensational victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix. But Williams’ technical director Patrick Head was scathing on his behalf instead.

Arrows’ Dutch driver Verstappen took out Montoya after the Colombian had led for half the 71 lap race. “Juan Pablo was doing (laps of one minute) 16s (seconds) and Verstappen was doing 18s,” said Head. “Juan Pablo didn’t brake early, he braked at his normal point. If the characteristic of our car is such that it has to brake 10 metres earlier than Verstappen’s car...is he suggesting that Montoya did him a brake test or something?

“At the end of the day he’d Be much better to say ‘I made a mistake’. Full stop. But people don’t seem to be able to do that. It’s the third time this year that we’ve been assaulted from behind by drivers trying to suggest that the car in front was at fault,” added Head.

Montoya was more diplomatic in his reaction, saying: “I don’t think he did it on purpose but the only thing he said was that he didn’t know I was the leader, so I’m a bit disappointed at that. I can’t complain to be honest. I’m really happy still with the performance of the car and sooner or later a win will come.”

Verstappen, who seemed to veer across sharply, rammed the back of the Colombian’s car as Montoya lapped him. “I saw Montoya coming so I went to the left to let him past. Once he came past I moved back over onto the racing line and he then braked very early,” said Verstappen. I’m very sorry for him because I heard he was leading the race, but I couldn’t avoid him. I hit him and that was it.”Had Formula One newcomer Montoya won, in only his third Grand Prix, it would have been Williams’ first win since Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in 1997.

German Ralf Schumacher, who started on the front row alongside his brother Michael, was also shunted from behind by the Ferrari of Brazilian Rubens Barrichello. Ralf was also hit from behind in the season-opening Australian grand prix by Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in an incident that ended in the death of a marshal who has hit by a wheel flying off the Canadian’s disintegrating BAR.