DECEMBER 13, 2000

Montoya continues to impress while Schumacher shines

FORMULA ONE new-boy Juan Pablo Montoya continued to impress in testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona -- even though he admitted all he wants to do is learn his Williams chassis.

The 25-year-old Colombian, who replaces Briton Jenson Button next season, completed 65 laps of the Spanish circuit and despite trailing team-mate Ralf Schumacher Montoya was delighted to continue his Formula One education in style.

Patrick Head is sure his protege will be pushing Schumacher when the season gets underway and that together they can stake a claim for the constructors' championship.

Montoya said: "I spent the day working on set-up and hard tires, as well as familiarizing myself with the circuit. We did some long runs today and overall I'm very happy with our progress.

"Comparing myself with Ralf, it appears that I am losing a little time through the faster corners, but I'm in no rush to take everything flat. As was the case last week in Jerez, I shall continue applying myself in a steady and step-by-step manner and I'm happy to continue learning the car."