Full Throttle

Juan Pablo Montoya proved he is back with a bang in Formula One after winning a battle of wills with Fernando Alonso at the British Grand Prix. Montoya took the checkered flag for the first time with new team McLaren and for the fifth time in a career which has promised so much but often failed to deliver.

But the 29-year-old yesterday showed he has not lost any of his famed ‘bottle’ that makes him such a feared and respected racer.

Once the five red lights went out to signal the start of the 60-lap race, Montoya blasted past BAR star Button before finding himself duelling alongside Alonso’s Renault in the first few corners.

Heading into Becketts, the two drivers were neck and neck, before Alonso eventually opted to give way.

“That was where the race was won,” said a beaming Montoya. “I knew Fernando wasn’t willing to risk too much, and I was willing to risk more, so I knew he would back off. He bailed out, not completely, but just enough for me to get him.”

“Going side by side into Becketts, one of us was going to back off or we would go off, and the chance was he would back off before me because he’s fighting for the championship and I’m not. I just wanted to win the race.”

At the other end of the spectrum was BAR Honda’s Takuma Sato who never got off the line. “The simple fact is that as I was going through the start procedure on the way to the grid, I hit the wrong button on the steering wheel as I was warming up the tyres,” explained Takuma. Ah technology… isn’t it grand?

It was another disappointing weekend for Ferrari. Seven-time series champion Schumacher finished just a second ahead of seventh-place teammate Rubens Barrichello. They finished on the same lap as the winner, but 75 seconds behind.

Alonso stayed atop the standings with 77 points through 11 races. Raikkonen stayed in second place with 51 points and Michael Schumacher, who finished sixth, stayed third with 43.