MAY 15, 2001
Montoya vows not to let Schumacher faze him
WILLIAMS driver Juan Pablo Montoya has vowed not to bow to the pressure and criticism from Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, after the pair clashed at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Colombian Montoya and German Schumacher were fortunate to avoid a crash as the latter attempted to overtake for the lead midway through the Austrian race.
The incident did, however, force Montoya off track and Schumacher to brake sharply to avoid contact and both drivers lost position.
But Montoya stood his ground after the race and claimed Schumacher is simply trying to wind him up to help his brother and Montoya's team-mate Ralf.
"What he (Michael Schumacher) is trying to do is help his brother," Montoya said. "At the end of the day he likes to do things to get at me like that, but it doesn't matter.
"I'm not too concerned about if someone likes me or not. If someone doesn't like what you're doing they should come and talk to me, get it all out in one, and shut up."
He added: "You can never become a friend with another driver because at the end of the day you are racing against him."
Montoya said that he intends to help Williams challenge Ferrari and McLaren on a regular basis, and promised to do all he can to complete the job.
"We're not here to just drive around, we need to raise our game and we are starting to do that," he added. "It is starting to pay off."