Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya recently sat down with Tom Clarkson on the Beyond the Grid podcast. Reminiscing about Montoya’s explosive yet short-lived career in the sport, Clarkson asked him about the time when he fought seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher, one of the 48-year-old’s most intense rivals.
It was then that the Colombian-born racing driver explained what really annoyed him about the then-Ferrari driver the most. “The only thing with Michael was that nobody raced him. When Michael was coming from the back – everybody would get out of the way for him. That p*ssed me off,” revealed Montoya.
During his Ferrari heyday, Schumacher was indeed larger than life for his rivals as well. He was held in god-like regard – almost mirroring the era of three-time champion Ayrton Senna.
Montoya, on the other hand, had an infamous personality. He usually attempted audacious maneuvers on the track and had an almost maniac personality off it. The eventual seven-time world champion and Montoya had their own moments as well.
Meanwhile, when it came to their rivalry, the closest Montoya got to overcoming Schumacher was during the 2003 season. He lost out to Schumacher by just 11 points in the championship while driving for Williams BMW.
Juan Pablo Montoya had two Schumachers to deal with during his Williams F1 days
Juan Pablo Montoya was wedged between the Schumacher legacy during his time in F1. While he battled Michael Schumacher hard as a rival, he also had to contend with the seven-time champion’s younger brother, Ralf Schumacher, as a teammate at Williams.
However, even if he couldn’t beat Michael in his Ferrari, Montoya outclassed Ralf comfortably in the four years they were teammates. After his Williams stint, Montoya made a step up to McLaren.
However, that turned out to be a nightmare for him. In his very first season with the team in 2005, the Colombian ruined his relationship with McLaren boss Ron Dennis. Despite the same, he stayed on for the 2006 season but quit the team and the sport just 10 races into the year.
Montoya then went on to ply his trade across the pond in NASCAR. But his son, Sebastian Montoya Freydell, is eager to complete his father’s legacy in F1. In 2024, he is competing in the FIA Formula 3 championship, looking to pave the way for himself in F1.
