Lowndes: Montoya "got to me mentally"
Craig Lowndes says his Formula 3000 teammate Juan Pablo Montoya was demanding and "arrogant" in their time together in 1997.
The Supercars legend endured a difficult season as Montoya’s teammate at RSM Marko in F3000 back in ’97, which ultimately led to Lowndes heading back to his plum Holden Racing Team ride in Australia and abandoning his Formula 1 dream.
Reflecting on that tough excursion overseas in an interview with Fox Sports’ Inside Supercars show, Lowndes admitted that the eventual race winner in F1, CART Indy car champion and two-time Indy 500 winner was a formidable intra-team rival.
“[Montoya] was a different character," said Lowndes. "He was probably the only driver in my lifetime that actually got to me mentally.
“He was a very aggressive person as a personality and as a driver. He was arrogant."
Montoya took three wins and went on to finish runner-up in that ’97 F3000 championship, as Lowndes finished only 14th, with a best finish of fourth. Montoya clinched the title the following year with Super Nova Racing.
Lowndes continued: “He’d never done a day's work outside of driving. His parents had paid for him the whole way through. He drove that year in the team without a sponsor on the car.
“He demanded everything, he got everything, he was just a lot different to me and it is brutal over there.”
Having come to Europe as the reigning Australian Touring Car Champion, Lowndes added another two ATCC titles to his CV in 1998 and 1999 after returning home.
Previous article
First SuperUte completes shakedown
Next article
Nissan goes it alone on Supercars leg protection
About this article
| Series | Supercars |
| Drivers | Craig Lowndes , Juan Pablo Montoya |
| Author | Andrew van Leeuwen |
Supershots Sandown
Supershots Bathurst
Sam Brabham drives BT-19 at Mount Panorama
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
Roger Penske's whirlwind Australian Supercars sojourn is over. After six seasons, three drivers' titles, three teams' championships and a Bathurst 1000 crown, The Captain has sold his controlling stake in Dick Johnson Racing back to the squad and walked away from the category.
Can Whincup be Triple Eight's ruthless leader?
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But does he have what it takes to be the new Roland Dane?
How a lifetime Supercars deal broke down in one year
David Reynolds inked what was effectively a lifetime deal with Erebus in 2019 – only to walk out a year later. What went wrong?
Why Supercars now needs a new "human salt harvester"
Scott McLaughlin has been a controversial figure in Supercars over the past few years but, as he heads off to a fresh challenge in IndyCar, the Australian tin-top series needs to find someone else to fill his drama-filled boots as the category enters a new era...
Why 2020 isn't McLaughlin's greatest title
Scott McLaughlin was quick to describe his third Supercars title as his best yet. But even though it didn't match the dramatic backstory of his 2018 triumph, there's a good reason for him wanting to control the narrative this time around.
Why a Bathurst finale is risky business for Supercars
The Bathurst Grand Final may provide Supercars its greatest spectacle yet – but there's a risk it will force the series to face a hard truth.
Why Scott McLaughlin must become an IndyCar driver
Scott McLaughlin, two-time and current Supercars champion, should have been making his NTT IndyCar Series debut for Team Penske at the GP of Indianapolis, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced a rescheduling that has put the brakes on his career switch. But David Malsher-Lopez explains why the New Zealander deserves this opportunity as soon as possible.
Tickford's 10-year wait for James Courtney
When the Supercars season resumes James Courtney will be a Tickford Racing driver – but it's not the first time the star driver has flirted with the famous Ford squad.
