F1 legend Juan Pablo Montoya claims he ‘destroyed’ Schumacher mentally in AWKWARD relationship

F1 Legends

F1 legend claims he ‘destroyed’ Schumacher mentally in AWKWARD relationship

An F1 legend has revealed how they 'destroyed' Ralf Schumacher mentally

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 13 April 2024 15:57

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Juan Pablo Montoya claimed he ‘destroyed’ Ralf Schumacher ‘mentally’ when they raced against each other in Formula 1.

The Colombian driver competed in F1 from 2001-2006, where he amassed seven race victories.

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He came closest to a world title in 2003, when he finished just 11 points behind championship leader and soon-to-be seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

Schumacher and Montoya also had a dramatic incident at Imola in 2004, which led to Montoya hitting out at the German driver, calling him ‘either blind or stupid’.

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher

Montoya makes Schumacher claim

Not only did Montoya have a rivalry with the seven-time world champion, but also with his brother and his own team-mate Ralf Schumacher.

Montoya partnered the German at Williams from 2001-2004, beating him in three out of their four seasons together.

He described Schumacher as his toughest team-mate, despite going up against world champion Kimi Raikkonen at McLaren in 2006.

On the Beyond the Grid Podcast, Montoya discussed how he managed to beat Schumacher, and how driver relationships have changed since he competed in F1.

“Honestly, Ralf was so, so good. His speed – oh my god he was so quick. He played with me for so long, it was so annoying,” he said.

Montoya's former teammate Ralf Schumacher

“He was so hard, he was so hard and like the things he could do with the car in one lap pace, he was unreal.

“It was really unreal and it was so annoying and so frustrating to not be able to match him at the beginning. You know what’s the problem – I destroyed him mentally. We never really talked," he admitted about the pair's relationship.

“So nowadays, with social media and everything, the team-mates are best friends and they go for dinner together and they play padel together. In my time, you didn’t talk to anybody. It was very hostile [the paddock], you didn’t talk to anybody.