Frentzen denies obstructing Montoya

Heinz-Harald Frentzen has denied he didn't get out of the way quick enough for Juan Pablo Montoya in the Italian Grand Prix and said he thought it was the Jaguar of Mark Webber behind him. Montoya reportedly said the Sauber driver "slowed me down at ...

Heinz-Harald Frentzen has denied he didn't get out of the way quick enough for Juan Pablo Montoya in the Italian Grand Prix and said he thought it was the Jaguar of Mark Webber behind him. Montoya reportedly said the Sauber driver "slowed me down at the decisive moment of overtaking," which ruined the Colombian's chances of catching race leader Michael Schumacher.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

Photo by Sauber Petronas.

Frentzen, however, claimed his mirrors were obscured by oil: "I did not receive any instructions from the pit, but I had my rear view mirrors splattered with oil," said Frentzen, according to Blick.

"For three laps I thought that the driver behind me was Webber in the Jaguar, with who I was involved in a battle for the last WC points. I had a radio message telling me that it was Montoya behind me so I made room as quickly as possible."

BMW Motorsport director Mario Theissen was also not impressed with Frentzen's actions: "The driving of Frentzen was legitimate but not very skillful," he said. "At the time of the overtaking, he intervened in the result of the race."

Montoya said he was also held up by the Jordan of Zsolt Baumgartner and after losing time in the traffic, he thought it was too late to catch Schumacher. "Twice I lost a lot of time and then behind the second Jordan driver I just lost so much time that I said just pace myself and get to the end," he remarked.

Montoya is now three points behind Schumacher in the Driver's standings and Williams four ahead of Ferrari in the Constructors', with two races to go.