Montoya

It's been hard to beat Michael Schumacher and Ferrari at just about anything this season, but there's one category where Juan Pablo Montoya and Williams BMW have managed to beat the dynamic duo. Montoya is ahead of Schumacher in the pole position tables heading into this weekend's SAP United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

So far this season, Montoya has won seven poles to Schumacher's five.

"It is good for the sport that we have put in some thing of a challenge to Ferrari," Montoya says. "The sport needs that.

"It's also good for me. If we can start converting those poles into wins -- in nearly two years I have got 10 poles out of about 30 races, which I think is pretty good. But I only have one win (Italy 2001), so I have to pick that up as well."

The wins certainly haven't been there for Montoya this year who has zero victories in 2002 compared to Schumacher's 10. Because of that, or perhaps in spite of that, Montoya takes some extra satisfaction from at least often being the driver with the fastest car in qualifying.

Montoya particularly enjoyed winning the pole in Ferrari's backyard at the recent Italian Grand Prix when he set a new record of an average speed of 161.448 mph around the Monza circuit. That beat the 17-year-old record of 160.938 mph that Keke Rosberg set in qualifying for the 1985 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

"It's pretty good," Montoya says of the record, "but more exciting than getting the record was beating Ferrari (at Monza). After winning both championships they wanted to come to Monza with the tifosi and have the same display (of dominance) they have everywhere. We are just trying to ruin their party a little bit."

Of course, in the race itself in Italy, Ferrari reigned supreme while Montoya drifted backwards in third place and eventually retired with a broken chassis.

Montoya's run of poles has been greatly aided by the Michelin tire which has often been quick in qualifying but then proved to be not as competitive against the Bridgestones in the race.

	Juan Pablo Montoya has been dominant in qualifying this season.

Still, Montoya says he's been getting more respect from the other drivers because he's usually a contender for the pole.

"It is good because they know that you have a chance and that you are going to go for it," he says, "and I think it works on their mind. When they are pushing they know that they have to push the extra bit because they know I will push it to the limit."

Getting that ultimate lap in qualifying is a matter of chipping away at the limit of the car and going over that limit. Montoya (and his engineers) carefully analyses each qualifying lap before attempting another.

"You think about it," Montoya says. "You look at the data and think 'I have to go a little bit quicker here.' You build it up and work with the car, and every lap you try to brake a little bit later here and go a little bit faster there and get a bit earlier on the power there.

"Sometimes when you go through a corner you, go 'whew, this is as fast as I am going to go through here.' And you just repeat it on the next lap. But there are corners you go through when the car just doesn't move, and on the next lap you take it up the next step. And sometimes that works and sometimes you go 'whoa!' and you need to get out of the throttle."

That's Montoya's trademark style. He can look ragged and wild out there but he's in control of his car. But getting that perfect lap is easier in qualifying than it is to repeat it lap after lap in the race itself.

"In qualifying you have the ultimate grip of the car," Montoya says. "You have the maximum downforce; you got the optimum setup and balance, so you can really throw it around and the car sticks. It is pretty impressive."

In the race, however, the limit is constantly changing.

"Sometimes you make mistakes," Montoya says of the race. "As the fuel goes down, your limits change. As you get less fuel you can brake later and go faster though the corners, but the tires are getting older at the same time, so it is always a balance. With time you just learn to know where the limit is."

At last year's U.S. Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher won his 10th pole position of the season and his second consecutive pole at Indy. Montoya, who had been in the middle of front row of the Indianapolis 500 in 2000, qualified third for his first F1 race at the Brickyard in 2001.

	“	Sometimes you make mistakes. As the fuel goes down, your limits change. As you get less fuel you can brake later and go faster though the corners, but the tires are getting older at the same time, so it is always a balance. With time you just learn to know where the limit is. ”
		— Montoya

Montoya and Schumacher and the rest of the drivers will have the accelerator pedal firmly planted to the floor as they come through the banked Turn 13 of the Indy F1 road course and then head down the long straight. The engines are flat out for a continuous 23 seconds, which is the longest time of any track on the F1 calendar.

This year, Montoya's bid for the pole at Indy will be aided by the latest specification BMW V10 that now tops 19,000 rpm. The engines topped that mark for the first time at the recent Italian Grand Prix.

Asked if he can feel the difference in power with the engine screaming over 19,000 rpm, Montoya clowns around and pulls back the sides of his face as if he is experiencing astronaut-level G forces.

Montoya has a good chance at winning pole position at Indianapolis on Saturday. But as for a win the next day...

"It is a shame that I have not got a win this season but it is not frustrating," Montoya said. "It is nice to be on pole seven out of 15 races."

"And it would be nice," Montoya added, "to spoil Ferrari's party a little bit."

Dan Knutson covers Formula One for National Speed Sport News.