Improvements slow Montoya

By Andrew Hooper
July 6 2003


	Improvements slow Montoya

	2002 was the year in which BMW WilliamsF1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya was to leave his team-mate Ralf Schumacher behind when it came to qualifying. In 2002 Juan Pablo was to secure seven pole positions, but in 2003 the roles have been reversed. 2003 has seen Ralf lead Juan Pablo with the German taking four pole so far this season. One person who has offered an explanation for this change is WilliamsF1 technical Director Patrick Head, who feels that the improvements made with the 2003 FW25 may have had a negative effect on Juan Pablo's performance in the car. Head explained this view: "I don't think it has anything to do with the speed of the drivers as such but there is a difference in experience and application. It's always easy to be wise after the event to pick a perfect reason but if you watched Juan driving the high-speed oval circuits in the United States then you would have noticed his quick hand reaction and response to the wayward behaviour of the back of the car. This car is not easy, but it is more stable than last year so it requires less correction. Maybe that's why Ralf is quicker to the limit than Juan."