Oct.30 (GMM) Juan Pablo Montoya has joined Eddie Jordan in warning that hostile tactics could play a role in Sunday’s championship showdown in Brazil
The Colombian, who won seven grands prix before switching to NASCAR two years ago, believes Ferrari’s Felipe Massa might again make contact with championship leader Lewis Hamilton, as they did in Japan earlier this month
Given that Hamilton only needs to finish fifth at Interlagos to win the title, 33-year-old Montoya advises the Briton to steer clear of Brazil’s Massa, who has much less to lose
“Lewis has got to play this pretty smart, then he’ll be champion,” he is quoted as saying by The Sun
“I think Felipe will win the race. If he comes anywhere near Lewis, I’d let him by,” Montoya said
Track tactics aside, crowd favourite Massa told local reporters in Sao Paulo this week that he thinks Hamilton will be given a tough time by the 70,000 Brazilians scheduled to throng the track on Sunday
“He will be taunted. It’s natural the fans will be against him,” he said
In La Gazzetta dello Sport, Massa is also quoted as saying: “Knowing Brazilians at Interlagos, there could be some dirty words.”n
