Montoya: I did talk to Ferrari but wouldn’t be number two

The Colombian’s six-season spell in Formula 1 spanned from 2001 to 2006 with Williams and McLaren, during which time both teams were frontrunners. Despite fierce rivalries with Schumacher on track, Montoya never came close to wearing the Red of Ferrari and now explains why.

Speaking to Escapist Magazine, he recalled: “I had a short talk with Ferrari and I kind of blew them off, to be honest. I didn’t really follow the rumours too much. But it wouldn’t surprise me if Michael did block me.

“Once on a podium, they kind of mentioned something and I said it would be amazing to go to Ferrari, but I just didn’t want to be a number two. I couldn’t have done what Rubens Barrichello did every week, which was like, ‘Rubens, we need to let Michael by!’

"I may have done it once, but that would have been it. I wouldn’t want to be number two to Schumacher, or anybody," said Montoya, a seven-time Grand Prix winner.

Montoya, known for his fiery temperament, uncompromising racecraft and straight talking, was one of Schumacher’s fiercest challengers during the early 2000s. Their on-track duels often turned physical, particularly during his Williams-BMW years, where he famously stood his ground against the dominant Ferrari driver.

Reflecting on that era, Montoya added, “I never really spoke to Michael. We raced the hell out of each other. Today, with social media, everybody talks to everybody, everybody’s so friendly, everybody wants to be seen. They all go and play padel together, they’re all like great teammates and they all love each other. In my time, it’s like, ‘Mind your own business!’”

History shows that Montoya walked away from Formula 1 after the 2006 United States Grand Prix, after 95 starts. At the end of the same season, Schumacher quit Ferrari as a driver (and Formula 1 for that matter) to make way for Kimi Raikkonen and begin his sabbatical. That lasted until 2010 when he made his comeback with Mercedes. Schumi has been unseen since his tragic, life-altering skiing accident at the end of 2013

Montoya remains one of the few drivers to have successfully crossed motorsport disciplines, adding the CART title, Indy 500 victories and a NASCAR career to his résumé. His refusal to play second fiddle at Ferrari only reinforces the hard-edged attitude that defined his racing legacy.