Things shaping up for Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya caused quite a stir when he entered Formula One last year, pulling off some daring moves and winning his first Grand Prix at Monza. This year he is more relaxed and has put the disappointment of so many engine failures last season behind him -- he and team mate Ralf Schumacher have been very fast in testing over the winter and despite the Williams FW24 coming in for some criticism from both drivers, Montoya is confident the team has made progress.

"I'm more relaxed about it this year, I understand the car better, I know the team now, so things are shaping up well," he said. "From the testing we've done we know the tyres are more reliable than last year, but no- one knows where they really are until the first qualifying session of the season on Saturday. I'm pretty confident in the car, it's definitely a step forward from last year, but the big question is how much in relation to everyone else."

Williams' team principal Sir Frank Williams is hoping for good results from the partnership with BMW this year and thinks his driver pairing is one of the strongest.

"After four commanding victories, four pole positions and eight lap records in our second year together, our expectations for the third season are high," he said. "We have great hopes for our new chassis, the FW24, and for the new P82 BMW engine. Beyond that, we've got the strongest team of drivers. Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya are different personalities with different driving styles, but their goals are identical."

Williams' last Constructors' title was back in 1997 when Jacques Villeneuve took the Driver's Championship too and the team are hoping for a repeat in the not too far distant future.