JULY 10, 2006

Could Montoya be dropped?

The Spanish TV station Tele 5, which broadcasts F1 races is reporting that Juan Pablo Montoya may be dropped by McLaren and replaced for the rest of the year by Pedro de la Rosa. There is a certain amount of logic in all of this as Montoya wants to start preparations to go into NASCAR as soon as he can. The key point in all this is that McLaren is partially-owned by DaimlerChrysler and Montoya will be driving next year in a Dodge, an American brand also owned by DaimlerChrysler. Thus it makes sense for let Montoya get on with his new project and not force him to stay on racing in a series where he has no future and little to gain. All that is really needed is some kind of a financial settlement. De la Rosa should be able to score points, as he did when Montoya was out with injury last year, and he is sure to be highly motivated as he wants to convince the team that he is the best man to be Fernando Alonso's team mate next year.