To confirm what everyone has assumed for months Williams has announced the signing of Juan Montoya to drive for them starting in 2001.
Montoya is no stranger to the Williams team as he was their test-driver in 1998 before he was signed by Chip Ganassi’s Target Champ Car team in a seat-swapping deal which also saw his predecessor at Target, Alex Zanardi, head to Williams. Montoya was also the European F3 Champion in 1998.
The following year — his first in Indy Cars — he won both the Fedex Champ Car Championship and the Rookie of the Year title.
This year has been a transitional year for Team Ganassi as they gain experience with their new chassis and engine package but the versatile Colombian has still managed to win several CART races as well as the Indianapolis 500 on his first attempt at driving an IRL car. Hopefully this versatility will not fail him next year when he heads to the Formula 1 circus which has ended the dreams of more than one Indy Car standout in recent years.