Mighty Montoya

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA left his rivals in the shade and staked a serious claim for the world championship title when he cruised to victory in the German Grand Prix yesterday.

On a dramatic day of searing temperatures, fellow title challengers Kimi Raikkonen, Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher all went out after a start line pile-up, while world champion Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari lost second place late in the race because of a puncture.

Colombian Montoya closed the gap on world championship leader Michael Schumacher to six points after leading the race from the start to claim his second victory of the season following success in Monaco.