Montoya's future likely in Formula One car
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS -- Juan Montoya doesn't like to talk about the
future. One day at a time, one race at a time, that's his mantra.
Still, Montoya could someday be remembered for planning ahead
when he drove to a dominating victory in the Indianapolis 500.
After all, it might be his one and only chance.
Virtually everyone outside of Chip Ganassi Racing predicts the
immensely talented Colombian will be in Formula One next year,
following the same path as former CART champions Jacques Villenueve
and Alex Zanardi.
If that happens, Montoya may not get another opportunity to
drive at Indy, no matter the outcome of the war that divides
American open-wheel racing.
"I would like to race here again," Montoya said Monday, seated
on the concrete wall along pit road after taking care of all the
mandatory picture-taking duties that go along with winning the
world's richest race. "Sometime, if I get a chance, I'll come
back."
Will he get that chance? Certainly not if he jumps to Formula
One, which has been his goal since he was racing go-karts in South
America.
During two weeks in Indy, Montoya didn't seem all that impressed
with the tradition and trappings that are as much a part of the
speedway as the race itself. After winning Sunday by more than 7
seconds, he took the customary sip of milk and celebrated with his
crew, but was clearly relieved to get it over with.
"We had so much weight on our shoulders," Montoya said,
referring to Ganassi's decision to run the 500 -- centerpiece of the
rival Indy Racing League -- in addition to the regular 20-race
schedule for Championship Auto Racing Teams.
Montoya and his teammate, Jimmy Vasser, both raced Saturday in
Nazareth, Pa., making up a CART event that was snowed out in April.
After packing up at Indy, Montoya and Ganassi headed to New York
for a whirlwind publicity tour Tuesday. Then, it's off to Milwaukee
for Sunday's Miller 200.
"I'm tired, drained, pooped," Ganassi said.
Montoya, a former test driver for the powerful Williams team in
Formula One, was recommended to Ganassi after Zanardi switched to
F1 for the 1999 season.
Zanardi, who captured two straight CART titles, washed out in
his lone year with Williams and was replaced by 20-year-old Jenson
Button, who has a long-term contract but could be farmed out next
year to another F1 team.
Asked recently about his own future, Button said, "The team was
always going to be looking at Montoya at the end of the year."
Button isn't the only one who expects Montoya to be racing in
Formula One in 2001. After all, he already captured the CART
championship as a rookie last year. Now, he's become the first Indy
rookie to win since Graham Hill in 1966. What's left to prove in
this country?
"It will not be very long before we see Montoya winning Formula
One races, and we'll be able to say he raced at Indy," said 1998
Indy winner Eddie Cheever, an ex-Formula One driver himself.
"People seem to forget that Montoya has been trained for
Formula One. He worked with Williams and did probably 8,000 miles
of testing. They farmed him out here to toughen him up a bit, and
they will be using him again. I guarantee you that he will be in a
Formula One car pretty soon."
Montoya brushed off questions about his future plans.
"It's very early in the season to be thinking about that," he
said. "I never think about that. I've got to think race by race,
day by day."
Montoya and Vasser were the first CART regulars to race at Indy
since 1995, the year before speedway president Tony George formed
the IRL as a low-cost, oval-based alternative to the older series.
The odds were stacked against Ganassi's team, which competed
against 31 IRL drivers after only five full days of testing in cars
that have different chassis and engines. But Montoya made it look
easy, leading 167 of 200 laps in the boldest statement yet about
which open-wheel series is best. Vasser also led near the end of
the race before dipping into the pits for a splash of gas, dropping
him to seventh.
Montoya was complimentary of the IRL drivers.
"They're really good, really respectful," he said. "I thought
they would be a little more aggressive. But I was happy with the
way everyone behaved."
Montoya took a shot at the drivers he'll be facing this weekend
in Milwaukee.
"I think it would be good for CART to keep everyone under
control a little better," he said. "A lot of people don't respect
you very much. Even when you're trying to lap them, they throw
their car at you."
Of course, he might not care at all by next year.
