F1-Blog

Montoya?

News has reached me (now I am back in the country) that Juan Pablo Montoya has been sacked with immediate effect at McLaren Mercedes.

The word is that the team believed he had broken part of his contract when he announced his move to the Chip Ganassi Racing team during the weekend.

The good news (I liked JPM, so that is bad news) is that the team will run test driver Pedro de la Rosa who I rate quite highly personally.

"Juan Pablo is an exciting driver and immensely likable character who will undoubtedly make a successful transition to the NASCAR scene," said Ron Dennis, boss of McLaren Mercedes. "We have agreed that with so many things happening in Juan Pablo's life right now, he should take some time out of the car and prepare professionally and personally for the future."

So at the base it looks amicable, however it is believed that JPM has 'gone' due to a contract break on his part.

It will be a sad goodbye to JPM in F1. He was one of the most 'watchable' drivers of the past years. He would not shy to any challenge on or off the track. That however has repercussions if the outcome is bad for the team or the sport.

JPM had the ability to become one of the best drivers of the era, but unfortunately just never found the sweet spot.

On a side note, I apologise for the lack of news over the last week or so, I was dragged away on holiday. Normal service will now resume.