 Montoya Says He has Fought the Flab Saturday January 27th, 2001
"I am working more, I've done quite a few race distances and I haven't had a problem. I think it's more because Frank (Williams) wants it," he said at the launch of the new Williams FW23 car on Saturday. "Right now I believe I'm in really good shape, you can always improve, but I'm in good shape." Montoya's weight became an issue after Williams announced at September's U.S. Grand Prix that the Colombian would be joining the team in 2001. Williams technical director Patrick Head was quoted at the time in British newspapers as saying that Montoya, a former Williams test driver, needed to lose weight. "He had the old roll of fat around the middle and was five kilos heavier than he was two years ago," he said. "I think he's been into the burgers and chips. He will have to raise his game enormously, the way Jacques Villeneuve did," Head said in September. Montoya, like Canadian Villeneuve who also made his F1 debut at Williams, is a former U.S. Champ car champion and has already impressed in pre-season testing. The Colombian said on Saturday he had not been surprised by Head's comments as he was on holiday when they met at Indianapolis and not race fit. Team boss Frank Williams confirmed that Head had been serious in making his remarks. "We were concerned," he said. "He's a little overweight but the weight is disappearing very quickly." Montoya said he hoped to be on the podium this year and also said he was disappointed not to have joined the team a year earlier when Italian Alex Zanardi's contract was terminated but the Colombian was unavailable.
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