It takes serious guts to call out Michael Schumacher, let alone brand him ‘blind or stupid’.
But not only did Juan Pablo Montoya do just that, he said it while seated just inches away from the Formula One icon.
F1 – YouTubeMontoya had some words for Schumacher after the 2004 San Marino Grand Prix[/caption]
Schumacher and Montoya qualified second and third respectively for the 2004 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, the fourth race of the year.
The German arrived at Italy in tremendous form, having won the opening three races in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain.
However, Schumacher, who chased a fifth-straight world championship that year, came under immediate threat from Montoya on the opening lap.
Jenson Button, who started on pole, enjoyed a dream start as he raced away.
But the same could not be said for Schumacher, as he called on all his racing nous to ward off Montoya.
The Colombian continually peeked around either side of Schumacher’s Ferrari to try and squeeze past, only for the German to slam the door shut on any hopes of an overtake with deft defensive manoeuvres.
Schumacher then forced Montoya off the track and onto the grass prior to the first straight.
Unsurprisingly, Montoya was left fuming over the incident and express his frustrations in the post-race press conference alongside Button and Schumacher.
“Well, you know Michael had a poor start,” Montoya said.
“He was slow out of the first chicane, you know, the first turns two and three. I went to pass, he closed the door on me and I had to back off. Then he did the same out of the next corner and closed the door.
F1 – YouTubeSchumacher ran Montoya off the track during the opening lap[/caption]
“So I went for the inside and I’m coming beside him and the next thing I see he’s just coming straight at me, hit me and put me up the grass. It’s very disappointing to see racing like that. I’ll be surprised if he gets away with it but it’s up to the FIA.”
However, Schumacher pointed out his relentless defence against Montoya was because he knew his Ferrari was significantly quicker than his rivals’ Williams and did not want to waste valuable time trying to get past it.
“It was very slippery on my side and I was fighting with Juan,” Schumacher said.
“It was a bit difficult to keep him behind me. I wanted to avoid him getting by because I knew I was going to get faster and we were able to.”
Schumacher’s claim prompted a hilarious reply from Montoya that left the gathered media in stitches.
“Oh, no, he didn’t see me there,” Montoya said in a rather sarcastic tone.
F1 – YouTubeThe incident sparked a cheeky response from the Colombian after the race[/caption]
“Wow, no. No chance. You know, you’ve either got to be either blind or stupid to not see me.
“But, you know, it’s racing.”
Unfortunately for Montoya, the FIA opted not to penalise Schumacher after the race over his defensive moves.
A penalty would have mattered little for the German anyway as his claim regarding the pace of the Ferrari was proven correct.
Although his battle with Montoya allowed Button to open up a lead of nearly three seconds at the end of the first lap, Schumacher slowly closed the gap.
He then took the lead from the Brit when Button pitted in lap nine and never relinquished it.
Schumacher ultimately won the race with an almost ten-second lead over Button, while Montoya finished third and 21 seconds behind the German.
The German’s triumph in Imola proved to be one of a staggering 13 victories that season as he romped to his seventh and final world championship.
As for Montoya, he ended the 2004 season fifth in the drivers’ standings but finished on a high as he won the season-ending race in Brazil.
But at least he’ll always have the moment he made Schumacher look rather sheepish after Imola.
