By Dan Knutson
indianapolismotorspeedway.com
Monday, November 17, 2003
2000 Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya will leave BMW WilliamsF1 after the 2004 season to drive for West McLaren Mercedes starting in 2005.
Montoya, from Colombia, made his Formula One debut with Williams-BMW in 2001. In his three seasons of F1, he has won three Grands Prix, finished on the podium in 17 other races and started from the pole position 11 times. He finished sixth in the 2001 Drivers World Championship and third in 2002 and 2003.
"I am thrilled to be joining West McLaren Mercedes," Montoya said. "The team is consistently a strong World Championship contender and has a fantastic heritage. It's a great opportunity for me, and I'm really looking forward to the first time I will be able to drive one of their cars.
"To join them is an amazing challenge and an experience that I plan to fully enjoy. However, my short term aim is to concentrate 100 percent on winning the 2004 World Championship."
Montoya, 28, will team up again with Ralf Schumacher at Williams-BMW for the 2004 season that includes the United States Grand Prix on June 20 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
McLaren's drivers in 2004 will be Kimi Raikkonen, who will return to the team for his third season, and David Coulthard, who will drive for the team for his ninth consecutive season. The team will confirm its full 2005 lineup at a later date.
"We want to win races and World Championships, and in order to do so we have to plan for the future whilst applying every effort in the short term," said Ron Dennis, CEO and chairman of the TAG McLaren Group. "The opportunity to sign a talent like Juan Pablo was too good to miss, and there is already a considerable amount of anticipation within our team about 2005.
"Juan Pablo has achieved a considerable amount of success in his career, and we are certain that he will add to this with West McLaren Mercedes. We are certainly looking forward to seeing what he can do in one of our cars, and I believe that it's a prospect that can't fail to excite Formula One fans around the world. However, until that happens, we will be focusing all efforts on our 2004 championship challenge."
Montoya's resume includes winning the 1998 FIA International Formula 3000 Championship and the 1999 CART championship. He and the late Graham Hill are the only two drivers who have won two of the world's most famous races: the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix.
"Juan Pablo has become well established in international motor racing within a short time and will fit well into our team," said Norbert Haug, Mercedes-Benz vice president of motorsport. "We have been convinced of Juan Pablo's great talent since he drove a Mercedes-Benz C-Class touring car in the ITC round at Silverstone in 1996."
USGP tickets: Tickets for the 2004 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis on June 20 are on sale, and the IMS ticket office encourages customers to place orders early to ensure the best possible opportunity to acquire good seats.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com or by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area. Parking and camping information also can be obtained through the ticket office.
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