Juan Pablo Montoya: “I was different – I guess that’s why I wasn’t in F1 long. I didn’t fit in”
F1 Beyond The Grid
karenellenbevan
4.7 • 5.3K Ratings
🗓️ 5 December 2018
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
He streaked into F1 in 2001; a spectacular no-holds-barred racer unafraid to go wheel-to-wheel with the biggest names in the sport. But though he made a big splash, winning seven races, including the Monaco Grand Prix, Juan Pablo Montoya’s Formula 1 career lasted just five-and-a-half seasons before he suddenly said goodbye to Grand Prix racing for good.
On this week’s episode of Beyond The Grid, presented by Bose, JPM tells Tom about his short but sweet time in the top flight of racing, including his journey into F1 with Williams, his thoughts about being team mate to one Schumacher brother and chief rival to the other, why his relationship with McLaren turned sour, and just what it was like to drive the V10 cars of the day…
*We experienced some issues with interference during the recording of this week's episode in Abu Dhabi. We've made some adjustments and hope you still enjoy the show!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, this is Juan Palomontoya and you're listening to Beyond the Grid. |
| 0:07.6 | Hi everyone, it's time for another episode of Beyond the Grid presented by Bose Quiet |
| 0:14.7 | Comfort 352 Wireless Headphones. |
| 0:17.5 | I'm Tom Clarkson and I'm delighted to welcome you along for another one-on-one conversation |
| 0:22.4 | with an F1 legend. |
| 0:24.0 | Now, do you remember a time when F1 drivers didn't communicate via social media? |
| 0:29.7 | Because there wasn't any, and they did all they're talking on the track? |
| 0:33.2 | Well, my guess this week is a driver who epitomised that no frills mentality. |
| 0:38.7 | He was both aggressive and unpredictable, super quick and super spectacular, something that |
| 0:43.6 | made his rivals wary of him and the fans love him. |
| 0:47.7 | I'm talking about the unforgettable Juan Palomontoya. |
| 0:51.8 | Juan Palomontoya was one of the first racing drivers I ever met when we were both cutting |
| 0:55.8 | our teeth in the junior formals of motorsport in the mid-90s. |
| 0:59.8 | We climbed the racing ladder in parallel, him as a driver, me as a journalist, and our |
| 1:03.9 | paths only split when he went to race in America with Chip Gennase in 1999. |
| 1:09.2 | Juan Pablo graduated to F1 in 2001 when he made his debut in Melbourne alongside other |
| 1:14.9 | debutants, Kimi Reichen and Fernando Alonzo. |
| 1:18.2 | He was an Awilliams alongside Ralph Schumacher, Michael's brother, and he left a mark on |
| 1:23.1 | the sport almost immediately and would continue to do so for the next six years. |
| 1:29.0 | We caught up at this year's season finale in Abu Dhabi, where Juan Pablo was holidaying |
| 1:33.3 | with his wife Connie and JPM didn't disappoint. |
| 1:36.8 | He remains as opinionated as ever, and he shares a lot of anecdotes that I'd never heard |
... |
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