Highlights

Coulthard apologises to Montoya for Chimp jibe

(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-06-12 10:10

SILVERSTONE, England, June 11 - Briton David Coulthard apologised on Sunday for likening Formula One rival Juan Pablo Montoya to a caged chimpanzee.

"He came and apologised this morning. It was nice," the McLaren driver told reporters after the British Grand Prix.

Montoya infuriated Red Bull's Coulthard in Saturday qualifying, with the Scot accusing the Colombian of deliberately impeding him.

"I wouldn't waste my time by going to see Juan Pablo," British newspapers quoted him as saying before a stewards' inquiry on Saturday evening ruled that the incident required no further action by them.

"It would be like going to a zoo and trying to communicate with a chimpanzee."

Montoya, who replaced Coulthard at McLaren at the end of 2004, said the Scot had told him he slowed in the second qualifying session because he did not trust the Colombian to move out of the way.

"I said 'you haven't even talked to me in six years I've been here (in Formula One) so it's hard to say why you don't even trust me if I've never done anything to you'," said Montoya.

"I was coming into the pits as he was starting his lap and he was never close enough for me to pick up the pace. I went through the gravel, stayed right and went into the pits.

"He said he had to back off to make sure I didn't screw his lap, but I wasn't planning to."

Coulthard started 11th and finished 12th while Montoya went from eighth on the grid to sixth at the finish.

The Colombian might have done even better had his car not been hit by Canadian Jacques Villeneuve's BMW Sauber at the start.

"It (the impact) opened a hole in the side of the sidepod. Aerodynamically, you lose a bit of downforce. It's a shame, we had a great car," said Montoya.