Montoya: McLaren move was difficult

Juan Pablo Montoya admits he did not settle at McLaren until halfway through this season.

The Colombian arrived at Woking after four seasons with Williams, who gave him his Formula One debut in 2001, and initially struggled against established lead driver Kimi Raikkonen.

Montoya was unable to challenge for wins as quickly as expected and, having missed two races with a shoulder injury, he did not stand on the podium until his victory at Silverstone in July.

The 30-year-old has been on a roll since, winning races in Italy and Brazil as well as several other strong performances.

He concedes life behind the wheel of the McLaren took time to get used to but now feels he has found his rhythm.

“My driving style is still the same,” he said. “It’s just that we changed the car a lot. I think I was very used to the Williams, the way the Williams reacted and behaved. This car is just so different from that.

“It was so different to what I was used to. It was a bit of a shock at the beginning of the year.

“I started to get used to the car, then broke my shoulder, and then when I came back it was still a bit of the same and then people took me off. I had all kinds of problems and it really took time to get a decent result in.

“It was a bit frustrating, but finally we did and managed to turn the season around, which was very important for me.”

Montoya pin-pointed his Montreal race in June, when he was leading before a pit mix-up and black flag, as the turning point for him this season.

He said: “I think the first race where we were really competitive was the Nurburgring and I got taken out at the first corner by Mark Webber.

“I think the real turning point was Canada where I actually got to lead a race in a McLaren and I was sure of what I could do.”