53 replies to this topic

[Johann]

As reported in autorace.com :

Juan Pablo Montoya will make his Formula one debut in the 2001 season with the Williams team to drive alongside Ralf Schumacher, who has expressed his reservations about the Champcar driver's expected performance in his debut year.

Montoya on the other hand, admitted that he is not interested in speculations concerning his performance and was quoted as saying: "European people are very weak mentally. They always start these kinds of mind games in order to show who is in charge or to make a point. In my case he (referring to Ralf Schumacher) is planning to do the same as Schumacher does to Coulthard. To be honest I don't care. If I do well or not it would be because of me, and not because some guy who thinks is going to affect me by he's comments".

Go Juan Pablo !!

[Maldwyn]

Harmony in the 2001 Williams camp then

[baddog]

sounds like press made up/skewed bullshit to me.. the idea that juan-pablo would say 'European people are very weak mentally' just before joining f1 is pretty far fetched.

Shaun

[Mrv]

Sounds wonderful. What a dumb mistake by Williams to sign Montoya. Button was on the rise.

[Ross Stonefeld]

If Williams made a mistake it was in keeping Ralf. As it were, Frank has all three of them, so he's sitting pretty as far as im concerned

Ross Stonefeld
Aztec International

[Johann]

We'll see at the end of the season.

[Andy]

Ah-Ha! Let the fun times begin!!

[DangerMouse]

Williams is taking the gamble that the Williams BMW will be far enough ahead to mean Button isn't a concern as a competitor.

I think this will indeed be the case in race trim due to reliability - but in qualifying I expect Button to embaress Williams quite a few times!

The Benetton/Renault will be fast and fragile!

[Caractacus]

Who on EARTH thinks that the Europeans are alike in their attitudes? My goodness, if the Canadians and USA citizens are in ANY way justified in their sniping at each other over their (smaller) cultural differences, what are we to make of the gap between a Finn and an Italian or a Scotsman and a Greek? Wow.

Sounds like rubbish to me, that report, but if it isn't then we're in for a new era of animosity at least at Williams...

[The RedBaron]

I know Ralf got on well with Jensen and was quite sad
to seeing him being let go, maybe thats why he has a certain amount of hostility towards Montoya. On a personal note, i think they should have kept the Schumacher/ Button combination....they are young and they would only have got better. Maybe this pairing could have one day been as formidable as Hakkinan/ Coulthard.

[magic]

jpm in a toyota.
what a waste

i thank sir frank for getting jpm where he belongs.
in a good f1 car.

good thing too sir frank gave button the chance to outshine the second best driver of '99.

jb is now in f1 to stay, good for us, bad for fizzi, soon dizzi.

[Zenonf1]

DC and Hakkinen formidable haha Hakkinen walks all over DC at will even Mazzacane could do the job DC is doing.I think you are worng Ralf should have left ,the guy cant even keep the car on the road at the moment and often screws up good qualifying laps.The good thing for Ralf is that by the time Button comes back to Williams Ralf will be driving elsewhere so he dosent have to endure getting his a** kicked.This statement from Montoya is pure s*** stirring by the media and I dont beleive a word of it.

[b3nster]

I think people really have a tendency to stereotype recent Ganassi-Williams imports. While Zanardi probably wasn't destined to be a great F1 driver, and made careless mistakes, he also was cheated by his engine and machinery several times. So I think if given better reliability and time to mature (its the latter that a modern GP owner is not willing to sqaunder, however), Zanardi probably would have been notably better then his 99 campaign dictates.
The current string of developments definately should make for an interesting scenario for 2001. Montoya has come off a good season, but nothing like his 1999 effort. How different things may have been if Williams picked up Montoya last year and Jensen perhaps ended up elsewhere...
Williams does not seem like a master of timing, having squandered employment of Newey shortly before his departure to McLaren.... Let's hope his eye for good timing has improved.

[hannu]

Ralf will have a newcomer at his team-mate three times in a row. Lucky for him, that will make him look good.

[RedFever]

well, since everyone is touting JPM as the next best thing safter sliced bread, I guess nobody can say Ralf will have it easy. Poor ralf, he only has to lose in this situation. If he destroyes JPM, everyone will say "hey, it was another Zanardi from CART". If JPM kicks his ass, then he will be in serious trouble, having 3+ years of experience and being beaten by a semi-rookie (although JPM already has huge open wheeler experience, he only knows a few F1 tracks and his car will be total news to him, although he has been an F1 tester for a Williams alread)

It should be interesting. I am more inclined over Ralf's for now, since JPM seems a little to arrogant in his first approach to F1. I think JV approached it a lot better, came in very silent and almost won his first GP.

[JayWay]

What an arsehole. Montoya should think a little before making such dumb comments. I'd imagine that 90% of his crew is European. If I was on his crew and he said that about Canadians, I wouldn't be motivated to work for his sorry ass.

[Chris G.]

JPM is just cocky enough to say something like that.

[mhferrari]

Well, next season will be interesting in the Williams Team.

[arcwulf7]

"European people are very weak mentally." Yup its shaping up to be a fun season at Williams. Don't take any crap there Juan

[SlateGray]

If you have been watching CART for the last two years you will know what a cockey little ---- head JPM is. He was very very lucky in 99 everything fell his way. When some little thing did go wrong he would have a hissy fit. He has been very cool about things going wrong this year only because he is on his way to F1. I hope Ralf kicks his sorry little backside.

[RedFever]

yeah, very weak, in fact last I checked the entire McLaren and Ferrari team were run by Columbian guys......and the last 8 out of 9 WDC have been won by mentally very weak European drivers, such as Prost, Mansell, Schumacher, Hakkinen........

[JayWay]

Don;t forget World War 2. The Europeans were to mentally weak to take part. The Colombians really kicked ass in that one.

[RedFever]

well, in that case without the US it would have been a different story. Let's keep it to F1

[luskiiimj]

I'VE FIGURED IT OUT!!!!

Sir Frank does want Button. He knows that Williams will take a couple of years to get truly competitive. So instead of having Button leave just when a WDC is in reach, Franky loans him out while they build up strength. Jenson gets better, Williams gets better. Montoya grows at about the same pace as Ralf which means that for the two years JB is gone, JPM is consistently outdone by Ralf, who is overjoyed when JB comes back. The Williams BMW is complete and ready to challenge for a Championship in 2003. The two estranged teammates embrace...(lights dim) (it begins to rain)

Seriously, I hope that's how it works out. And actually I hope that JPM does ok without disrupting Williams or Ralf or Jenson...Asking too much?

[b3nster]

I am still under the belief that JPM did not really make such a blatantly stupid remark. Arrogant, he may be, but he could never have gone as far as he has with such a thoughtless mentality.

[Grimhogun]

Montoya will not do well his first year but given the time and patience denied Zanardi he could become great. Ralph needs to pick up his game alot if he is to step in where Michael decides to leave off.
I know quite a few europeans and none of the ones I know are weak minded as far as that goes. Montoya is trying to play Shcumi's game against Ralphy. Personally I hope Ralph Kicks his ass. Ralph needs to get some lessons on mind games as well as refining his driving technique from big brother in the off season.

[senninha]

The nationalism counts more in F1 than in USA. It's a fact and we can read it everyday on this BB.

By teh way: a pair Button / Montoya sounds great ... flesh blood.

[The RedBaron]

After last season, Ralf was hailed as a future WDC by a lot of people on here. A few non-finshers at the end of the season and now he's not worth his spot at Williams!!! How things have changed. I read on this thread that Button (I like him by the way) outshone Ralf this season.....for the life of me i failed to see how once looking at the points totals and qualifying differentials. Credit to the rookie though!

ACTION : RedBaron scratches his head in bewilderment!

[snow]

I think Ralf and Juan both need to put a sock in it and concentrate on performing well next season. If they don't, Sir Frank will kick both of their behinds.

[NYR2119935]

JPM speaks the truth. I am proud of him for speaking the truth. All over F1 there is nothing but mind games being played. Hope JPM will bring them back to reality. I yearn to see JV and JPM fight it out on the track. The hell with everybody else. Mind games make me sick. Mind games are for the weak. Actions speak louder than mind games. And I saw boobies today!

[!!ManumissioN!!]

Ah!!! I sense we have another child of controversy in our hands now.
Remember how Schumacher used to be (to some extent, still is) viewed as a very arrogant, over-confident individual.
This could be interesting. I do seriously doubt JPM said that though. Its just a rather convenient JOURNALISTIC INTERPRETATION to stir up some attention.

[JayWay]

NYR,

Your showing your stupidity. You bash F1 for mind games, then dance around JPM like a groupie to a rock star saying he will eliminate mind games when the comment you praise is mind games being played by him.

Sorry ya tell ya this, but JPM ain't no CART poster boy. He hasn't gone half as hard as he did last year because hes to focused on F1, it's the truth, anyone who hears his interviews after his DNF's knows this, he doesn't even care.

And as for your theory that F1 just gets drivers through money.

JPM was offered the same amount by Gannasi, as was Zanardi, and Franchitti made it clear that it is F1 that is his goal.

[JayWay]

Supposodly the real quote was that all European drivers are mentally weak, not all Europeans. It still isn't much better.

[NYR2119935]

How dare you call me a JPM groupie!!!!

I AM A MICHAEL ANDRETTI GROUPIE AND DON"T YOU EVER FORGET IT!!!!!

And stop over anyalyzing things
Not everything is a mind game
However JPM is right that the majority of European drivers use mind games as much as they race. it's stupid and pointless. Just race.

[NYR2119935]

And endorsement deals and advertisements is where the F1 drivers make the majorit of their money. This is the same with everybody, but I have read that it gets crazier in Europe than here in the states, unless of course u exclude Nascar drivers who will endorse anything whatsoever.

[nud]

you're a jpm groupie, you're a jpm groupie

[JayWay]

Analyze what?

I think you are blind to all that does not start with CART or Stars and Stripes.

Please, if JPM was never in CART, his statement would be mind games to you.

And what does sponsership have to do with anything in this discussion?

[JayWay]

Wait, you are saying that all F1 drivers go to Europe just to get sponsership money?

This is to stupid how seperated from reality you are. You are deaf to Dario saying he has dreamt F1 since childhood. You are deaf to JPM saying F1 is his goal since the begining. Even Andretti went, but could not cut it, and then went the Zonta route crying to daddy that the Europeans bossed him around.

[Sean L]

I fail to see how playing mind games = being mentally weak.

[jps]

Has any other Cart driver succeeded in F1 than JV ? i think that most of them has been disaster.
On the other hand most of F1 drivers who was gone to Cart series had done quite well ?
Is Juan Pablo just Juan Bubble

[355 boy]

eitherway, I would love to see another CART hero leave F1 with his tail firmly between his legs, preferably wimpering slightly. It'd be even better if Johnny Herbert also got a competitive CART drive and kicked some corn-bred ass!

:lol::lol::lol:

[NYR2119935]

Originally posted by jps
Has any other Cart driver succeeded in F1 than JV ? i think that most of them has been disaster.
On the other hand most of F1 drivers who was gone to Cart series had done quite well ?
Is Juan Pablo just Juan Bubble

How many CART drivers have actually gone to F1

JV, MA ... ??
So most of them have been disasters??


AZ had been in F1 before so he doesn't count.

[NYR2119935]

Originally posted by 355 boy
eitherway, I would love to see another CART hero leave F1 with his tail firmly between his legs, preferably wimpering slightly. It'd be even better if Johnny Herbert also got a competitive CART drive and kicked some corn-bred ass!

why would you wish this??
Why do u seem to have a hatred for CART?
Corn-Bread ass? define that.
and then explain what it has to do with CART?

[NYR2119935]

Originally posted by JayWay
Wait, you are saying that all F1 drivers go to Europe just to get sponsership money?

This is to stupid how seperated from reality you are. You are deaf to Dario saying he has dreamt F1 since childhood. You are deaf to JPM saying F1 is his goal since the begining. Even Andretti went, but could not cut it, and then went the Zonta route crying to daddy that the Europeans bossed him around.

Sponsership money is very tight in the USA. Not many drivers bring personal sponsership money in America. Sponsership money seems to be more widely available outside the USA. Also open wheel drivers in Europe can get good advertisement $$ in Europe, while they genereally don't here.

[Mustang]

At the risk of being called a JPM groupie (could there be a worse fate?) I can't help but laugh at the frenzy created by a lazy journalist pulling "news" from a bulletin board as the F1 season comes to an end. Even more laughable is to catch several on-line magazines quoting those news.

A TV-viewer in Colombia posted in the 7thGear forum his recolection of four points he thought were the highlights of a Montoya interview in a local talk show "La Noche." [http://www.seventhge...L/008622.html].

Next day, one of his paragraphs appears word-by-word (with "european drivers" now mutated to "european people") as news in Autorace.com, "[Montoya] was quoted as saying....", Dailyf1.com, "JPM & RS: Already at it", and best of the pack, itv-f1.com that quotes Autorace as the source: "He [JPM] told Autorace that european people..."

Maybe, if we get lucky, other forumers will also be quoted as reliable sources during the slow-news season :D:D

[b3nster]

Originally posted by jps
Has any other Cart driver succeeded in F1 than JV ? i think that most of them has been disaster.
On the other hand most of F1 drivers who was gone to Cart series had done quite well ?

Originally posted by 355 boy
eitherway, I would love to see another CART hero leave F1 with his tail firmly between his legs, preferably wimpering slightly. It'd be even better if Johnny Herbert also got a competitive CART drive and kicked some corn-bred ass!

:lol::lol::lol:

jps, I hope you are asking and not stating that F1 drivers who go to CART mostly do well, because that is plain and simple an inaccurate assumption. I will gladly admit few to no CART drivers staged great F1 campaigns (JV did great, and lil Andretti had bad circumstances). Furthermore, a strong percentage of the recent CART drivers sent to F1 were actually involved in F1 before coming to CART (in one way or another... Zanardi with Lotus, JPM as a test driver for Williams). I am thankful for the great drivers F1 has provided my local series with. Still, for every F1 driver in CART doing well, I can name several drivers from F1 who went to CART and were CONSISTENTLY out-performed!!! Names come up like Lehto... Marques... Fontana... Blundell (lately)... Boesel... Sospiri... (does Lola count?) Nakano... Barbazza....
The corn-bred CART statement is interesting, 355boy. Is this meant to imply that CART teams and drivers are mostly American? Not exactly true. While CART has mostly American venues, the plain majority of the drivers racing in the series are actually Brazilian or European. Also, last time I checked, 'superior' Johnny Herbert had not officially anounced signing with a CART team. I will tell you I bet he ends up racing CART, but at least wait until it is a done deal before you start talking trash. If Johnny Herbert proves to be as dull to watch in CART as Mark Blundell (which I doubt and sincerely hope against), you can keep him, for NASCAR provides us yanks with obscene amounts of boredome already.
I make these conclusions from the fact that I regularly attend both F1 and CART sporting events. My MAIN point is, CART may not have the technological or international flavor of F1, and the level of competition is most certainly higher with grand prix racing. Rather, CART is almost grass roots in comparison to F1. But before you wish poor luck upon the drivers and the series I am proud to call myself a fan of, bear in mind CART's television coverage, access to the drivers, and fan-friendly atmosphere are all areas where CART is ahead of F1 in leaps in bounds.[p][Edited by b3nster on 10-26-2000]

[Mustang]

Good one, b3nster. Even I, a clueless CART fan following JPM into the friendly F1 waters, figured it out.

[baddog]

I wanna be quoted on autorace.com.... Ill have to dream up some fictitious interview in which Jenson Buton says David Coulthard is ron dennis's love child with louise goodman or something.. hell ITV-F1 would believe it Im sure ;)

Shaun

[JayWay]

No NYR,

LOL! I love how you make the States out to be some 3rd World Country. Sponsorship has nothing to do with it because drivers get sponsored by their own countries. Oh gee I guess you though Telefonica was American. Why do you think theres so many Brazilians? Sponsorship is the reason so many go to CART, it's the opposite with F1.

[hhffan]

Originally posted by Johann
"European people are very weak mentally.
Go Juan Pablo !! [/B]

JP's comment is no different then that of Ricardo Zonta -

F1 Racing November 2000

"Sure JP is arrogant, but maybe that is a characteristic of the Columbian People."

I think that neither is a good comment however I believe that Ralf is scared that JP may outgun him next year and making such comments.

Go Juan Pablo!