JPM's F1 career now officially over

[theunions]

Just received the following from McLaren:


TEAM McLAREN MERCEDES CHANGES DRIVER LINE-UP FOR THE 2006 FRENCH GRAND PRIX


Woking, Great Britain, Tuesday 11th July 2006: Team McLaren Mercedes and Juan Pablo Montoya have mutually agreed for him to step down in the forthcoming races of this year's Formula 1 World Championship. The team has decided that Pedro de la Rosa will join Kimi Raikkonen in the race driver line-up.

Juan Pablo has been an energetic member of the team since 2005, but will now spend the next few months based in Miami with his family and wife Connie who is expecting their second child in September. Following his agreement with Chip Ganassi Racing for next year, Juan Pablo will also be making initial preparations for his debut in a Chrysler Dodge NASCAR.

Pedro will make his second race appearance for the team following a thrilling points scoring debut in the 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix.

"Juan Pablo is an exciting driver and immensely likeable character who will undoubtedly make a successful transition to the NASCAR scene," said Ron Dennis, CEO and Chairman of the McLaren Group. "We have agreed that with so many things happening in Juan Pablo's life right now, he should take some time out of the car and prepare professionally and personally for the future."

"We believe that Juan Pablo's decision to move to NASCAR is very important for him professionally and we will give him every support to ensure that it is a successful transition," said Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport.

"I know that it will be a tough transition but I'm really excited about the opportunity to move into the NASCAR championship," said Juan Pablo Montoya. "I have enjoyed most of my time in Formula 1 and I'm grateful for this opportunity to settle my personal life and concentrate on my future career."

"I'm of course extremely thrilled to have this opportunity to race the MP4-21 ? a car in which I'm really comfortable," said Pedro de la Rosa. "I know the MP4-21 better than anyone else and I'm confident that I can achieve important World Championship points for the team."

[Cam]

Reverse career assasination??? :saywhat:

[Insomniac]

I wonder if JPM will run some NASCAR races this year?

[Spicoli]

I wonder if JPM will run some NASCAR races this year?

Not me. see ya later you big fat colombian robby gordon. :shakehead

[rosawendel]

what's a chrysler dodge? is that like a mercury lincoln?

[Dr. Corkski]

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

#3!

[Dirty Sanchez]

http://www.oscland.com/lol/lmaonade.gif

[racer2c]

what's a chrysler dodge? is that like a mercury lincoln?

The Dodge brand isn't in Europe. Vipers are called Chrysler Vipers. So I assume the auther was associating.

[racer2c]

""We believe that Juan Pablo's decision to move to NASCAR is very important for him professionally and we will give him every support to ensure that it is a successful transition," said Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport."

Translation= "There's the door. Ba-bye". :)

[TrueBrit]

""We believe that Juan Pablo's decision to move to NASCAR is very important for him professionally and we will give him every support to ensure that it is a successful transition," said Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport."

Translation= "There's the door. Ba-bye". :)

:rofl:

[Sean O'Gorman]

http://cgi.ebay.com/JUAN-PABLO-MONTOYA-Formula-1-F1-Russian-Nesting-Dolls_W0QQitemZ290004969193QQihZ019QQcategoryZ2876 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://www.russianrelic.com/yevgen_2000/JuanMontoya3.jpg

[oddlycalm]

Imagine how much McLaren will save in wrecked cars between now and the end of the season by telling El Douchebag to stay home.

oc

[Joelski]

Who would've thought that pa-Blow would school checques on the finer points of flaming out a career at the top? :rofl:

[RichK]

Not a lot of love for JPM here at OC. I'm a big fan of his - and tend to agree with Adam Cooper at speedtv.com:


He might have underperformed of late, but there’s no doubt that Montoya is a serious talent, and I’m still convinced that in the right F1 environment he could have silenced the critics. He’s only had two full-time teammates – Ralf and Kimi – neither of whom made life easy for him, on or off the track. Had he been given a clear team leader role at somewhere like Red Bull, he could have thrived.

Meanwhile such as Coulthard, Trulli, Ralf S, Heidfeld and Fisichella remain employed next year. They’re all good drivers worthy of seats in their own right, but for all his faults, how many of you would rank Juan Pablo below everyone in that group? It’s a strange world….

[Gnam]

ain't ya heard? F1 is the new road to NASCAR.

How long before they call him a mexican?

[JohnHKart]

Not a lot of love for JPM here at OC. I'm a big fan of his - and tend to agree with Adam Cooper at speedtv.com:

Well Im with you. I was a big fan of JPM way before my current Colombia obsession kicked in a couple of years ago. I watch Nascar also, but I'm a bigger F1 fan and I am really bummed out about this. I even started searching for flights to Japan and Brazil two days ago, as I never got to see Juan in one of those cars and I never will now. Oh and by the way, it's quicker and easier to get to Tokyo from LAX than it is Sao Paolo, not to mention safety concerns. I was thinking this week, the F1 talent pool is certainly richer and more exciting than the last race I went to, the EuroGP in 99.

John

[Rogue Leader]

Formula 1..... the new Busch Grand National!!! :D

[oddlycalm]

Not a lot of love for JPM here at OC. I'm a big fan of his - and tend to agree with Adam Cooper at speedtv.com: Nobody doubts his ability, which is why everyone from his employers right down to fans are so frustrated with him.

He's one of the people for whom the distraction de jour always seems more compelling than the job at hand. At the top levels physical abilities are very high for everyone and the difference generally comes down to mental focus and making split second decisions on the fly, and therein lies the problem with Montoya.

Choosing to leave F1 to drive cabs for Jabba The Floyd....? :thumdown:

oc

[mueber]

Not a lot of love for JPM here at OC. I'm a big fan of his - and tend to agree with Adam Cooper at speedtv.com:

I do too. Gonna miss Juan. He seemed far less self-absorbed than your average F-1 driver, and let's be honest, what are the paying Ralf $20 million to do exactly?

[Gangrel]

Not a lot of love for JPM here at OC. I'm a big fan of his - and tend to agree with Adam Cooper at speedtv.com:

I couldn't stand him when he was in CCWS. Cocky, overly aggressive. PT except from South America and even more aggressive.

When he went to F1, I liked him more. But that was because Schuey was ruining F1 for everyone. I liked JPM in kind of a King Kong vs. Godzilla sort of a way. If JPM gets a win, it's one less win than Schuey got. If JPM and Schuey wind up in the tire barriers together....well, all the better!

With Schuey no longer in control of the F1 field, I am kind of glad to hear that JPM is done and moving on to taxicabs, because now I no longer have to care what he does. Good luck, and good ridance!

:cool:

[emjaya]

I'm neither here nor there on Juan-Pablo, but when he said he'd rather drive his McLaren on the old Nurburing circuit, he went up a little in my eyes.

:)

[Spicoli]

jew-wann is an as$whole. just like every other driber.


wgaf.

[racer2c]

jew-wann is an as$whole. just like every other driber.


wgaf.

Yep. The NASCAR boys club will chew him up and spit em out. Before you know it JPM will another Damon Hill and Eddie Irvine...'what ever happened to' kind of ex-driver.

You make your bed, you get your cash, you die happy (but forgotten).

[mueber]

jew-wann is an as$whole. just like every other driber.


wgaf.

Brilliant.

[Spicoli]

Brilliant.

chicken. :laugh:

Look. nothing personal with Juan. Good skills, good driber. But allmost every driber is a self-absorbed dip*****. Its the nature of what they do.

They come and go. some got a personailty that is polarizing, some - everybody likes. some - everybody hates. Examples are everywhere. But one thing is for sure, there will always be more dribers.

Talking about ego filled turds - for example, look at Sean O'Gorman, SCCA regional legend. All that fame and success just goes to their head! :gomer:

[Sean O'Gorman]

You're such an ass. :laugh:

But yeah, I think Spicoli is spot-on. I used to dislike the other drivers I autocrossed with for years, and then once I got to know them, I liked them, because they were all a-holes like me.

[rosawendel]

McLaren asserts Montoya still under contract (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=6&id=2519400)


"Juan Pablo is contracted through to the end of the year," Dennis said at the French Grand Prix. "And if we so choose, he will test and race again. He still is contracted to us, unless there is some other commercial arrangement between ourselves and the NASCAR team or Juan himself," Dennis said.

translation: "if there's a way that we can make a buck out of this, i'm totally in on that.

[Spicoli]

McLaren asserts Montoya still under contract (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=6&id=2519400)



translation: "if there's a way that we can make a buck out of this, i'm totally in on that.



:laugh:

[Mike Kellner]

Well, I like JPM. Always did. Not enough to watch NASCRAP just because he's in it, but I hope he does well there.

mk