SILVERSTONE, England -- Colombian Juan
Pablo Montoya, accused last year of being fat, has been shedding
weight ahead of the Formula One season to please his new bosses
at Williams.
"I am working more, I've done quite a few race distances and
I haven't had a problem. I think it's more because Frank
(Williams) wants it," he said at the launch of the new Williams
FW23 car on Saturday.
"Right now I believe I'm in really good shape, you can
always improve, but I'm in good shape."
Montoya's weight became an issue after Williams announced at
September's U.S. Grand Prix that the Colombian would be joining
the team in 2001.
Williams technical director Patrick Head was quoted at the
time in British newspapers as saying that Montoya, a former
Williams test driver, needed to lose weight.
"He had the old roll of fat around the middle and was five
kilos heavier than he was two years ago," he said.
"I think he's been into the burgers and chips. He will have
to raise his game enormously, the way Jacques Villeneuve did,"
Head said in September.
Montoya, like Canadian Villeneuve who also made his F1 debut
at Williams, is a former U.S. Champ car champion and has already
impressed in preseason testing.
The Colombian said on Saturday he had not been surprised by
Head's comments as he was on holiday when they met at
Indianapolis and not race fit.
Team boss Frank Williams confirmed that Head had been
serious in making his remarks.
"We were concerned," he said. "He's a little overweight but
the weight is disappearing very quickly."
Montoya said he hoped to be on the podium this year and also
said he was disappointed not to have joined the team a year
earlier when Italian Alex Zanardi's contract was terminated but
the Colombian was unavailable.
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