Berger praises talented Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya has impressed BMW motorsport boss Gerhard Berger in his two years as a driver for Williams and Berger thinks the Colombian is the equal for Michael Schumacher. Montoya has so far only gained one race victory but impressed in ...

Juan Pablo Montoya has impressed BMW motorsport boss Gerhard Berger in his two years as a driver for Williams and Berger thinks the Colombian is the equal for Michael Schumacher. Montoya has so far only gained one race victory but impressed in qualifying last year, with seven pole positions. Berger thinks he just needs to work a bit harder on setting up the car this year.

Juan Pablo Montoya.

Photo by Steve Rossini.

"Juan is one of the most talented drivers I have ever seen, his car control is brilliant and so is his overtaking," he told the BMW website. "There is nothing to say about this area, he can do the same as Michael (Schumacher) on the driving side."

"I think it's a question of how he can get the maximum out of his car's set-up. That's where he is lacking a bit of experience and has to work harder. It's the only area I can think of where he could improve."

Williams is currently testing in Barcelona, where Ralf Schumacher and Montoya topped the times yesterday. At Valencia recently, Montoya broke the lap record in testing, in a week where nearly every day the lap record fell.

The Colombian is aiming to put the maximum effort into this season: "I want to raise my game as far as I can," Montoya said. "It's not only to show people what I can do, it's mainly for myself. It's like a personal challenge. When I'm driving the car I always try and make sure I'm 100 percent on the limit."