Juan Pablo Montoya opens up on ‘cut-throat’ relationship with F1 rival, they ‘hated each other’

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Juan Pablo Montoya has opened up on his ‘cut-throat’ relationship with a Formula 1 rival that led to a physical altercation in a drivers’ meeting at the 2001 Canadian GP.

The 48-year-old enjoyed six years in the pinnacle of motorsport between 2001 and 2006 and entered 95 Grand Prix. But his rookie season with Williams saw Montoya rub some rivals the wrong way. He also occasionally irked boss Frank Williams but his pace was undeniable.

Montoya debuted for BMW Williams at the 2001 Australian GP and finished the season as a Grand Prix winner. The Colombian stood atop the podium for the first time at the Italian GP. He also took three pole positions that year at the German GP, the Belgian GP and at Monza.

Juan Pablo Montoya had a ‘cut-throat’ relationship with Jacques Villeneuve

Williams, ultimately, took Montoya to four race wins before he joined McLaren in 2005 and added a further three victories. Each of his triumphs with McLaren came during 2005 at the British GP, the Italian GP and the Brazilian GP – which he also won for Williams during 2004.

The two-time Indy 500 champion even secured Williams the win at the Monaco GP and the German GP in 2003. His career further featured 13 pole positions, with Monza his happiest hunting ground with three. Montoya also returned to Montreal to get pole position in 2002.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship

But before the highs of pole position in 2002, Montoya left the wrong impression on some at the 2001 Canadian GP after a fiery clash with 1997 F1 champion, Jacques Villeneuve. The pair nearly came close to blows at the Friday drivers’ meeting after their incident in practice.

Jacques Villeneuve blamed Juan Pablo Montoya for his 161mph crash at the 2001 Canadian GP

Charlie Whiting in his role as the FIA’s race director pulled Montoya and Villeneuve apart in front of their Formula 1 rivals, with Montoya also receiving a reprimand for his role. It came after Villeneuve crashed at 260km/h (161mph) after the Canadian’s rear suspension failed.

Villeneuve suggested that Montoya caused his crash after rear-ending the BAR Honda driver earlier in the practice session. He further vented, via Autosport at the time: “I don’t know what kind of game he is trying to play… It looks like something failed on my car.

“But it’s very difficult to know because when I hit the wall, so many things broke. He is on a mission for something and I’ll have to have a word with him.”

Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve ‘hated each other’

Montoya has now opened up on his fiery clash with Villeneuve at the 2001 Canadian GP and admits the pair ‘hated each other’. But while they almost came to blows to Frank Williams’ dismay in Montreal, Montoya admits all tensions disappeared once the pair stopped racing.

“The relationship I had with Villeneuve when we raced, it was cut-throat,” Montoya told the Beyond The Grid podcast. “I mean, we hated each other. And when I started coming back to the races, we looked at each other and we just laughed about it. That was it.

“But at the point, we nearly punched each other in the drivers’ meeting in Canada. I got in his way and he wasn’t [happy]. I don’t know if I was doing an install [lap], it was a fresh run [or] I was on an out lap and he was coming, I didn’t see him and I got in his way.

“And he got next to me, threw the car at me, kind of went and I went and he brake tested me and I didn’t brake. I ran into the back of him, actually really hard, and he went and the rear suspension failed and he had a massive shunt. And then he blamed me for the shunt.

“I’m like, ‘Screw you’. Of course, I enjoyed it, of course. If you’re another driver and you look at that and I’m behind you and I throw the car in, what do you think they’re going to think? ‘Oh, just go. I don’t want to have a crash’.”