JANUARY 14, 2002

Montoya to Ferrari in 2003?

WORLD CHAMPIONS Ferrari are looking to secure Juan-Pablo Montoya as a long term replacement for four time World Champion Michael Schumacher, the BBC Sport Online is reporting. The Maranello based team wants to replace Rubens Barrichello with the young Colombian when both of their contracts expires after the 2002 season.

The deal seems unlikely at the moment, however. Schumacher, whose contract ends at the end of 2004, said recently that he has no intentions of hanging up his helmet after his current deal is up, and Montoya said last year that he would not be interested in joining Ferrari and playing second fiddle to the German.

Money, however, can influence these sort of decisions, and it is expected that Ferrari would offer Montoya a considerable amount more than the $1.5m he is reportedly receiving from Williams.

Neither Ferrari nor Williams would comment on the issue, as both teams are preparing for the 2002 season.