"I don't see the challenge": When Michael Schumacher blasted outgoing rival for leaving F1 to pursue NASCAR

Michael Schumacher questioned fellow F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya's decision to leave the sport to join the American stock car racing competition, NASCAR, in 2006. Speaking in an interview that year, the German driver talked about how he sees F1 as a more challenging sport with better developed cars when compared to NASCAR's vehicles and tracks.

Montoya left Formula 1 in the middle of the 2006 season to race for Chip Ganassi Racing. Although he was supposed to start his NASCAR career in 2007, McLaren and the Colombian driver reportedly decided to part ways after a first-lap collision caused by Montoya in the US Grand Prix in 2006 led to both McLarens out of the race.

In an interview series conducted by Ted Kravitz, Schumacher gave his thoughts about the driver's decision to move from F1 to NASCAR. He said:

"What do you do in NASCAR? What is exciting? I can't see that running around in ovals. I don't know how heavy these cars are but very low, I would say, developed car to drive compared to a Formula 1 car. I don't see the challenge." [1:42 - 2:01]

Schumacher and Montoya raced alongside each other from 2001 till the former McLaren driver's exit from the sport. During their time together in F1, Schumacher won the driver's championships from 2001 to 2004 consecutively. The closest Montoya got to the German driver were third-place finishes in the 2002 and 2003 seasons with the Williams F1 team.

Montoya left F1 having achieved seven wins and thirty podium finishes, and he completed every season with a Top 10 finish in the standings.

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Juan Pablo Montoya once said Michael Schumacher would have a 'heart attack' racing in NASCAR

After his departure from F1, the Colombian driver responded to Michael Schumacher's comments, saying it would be difficult for the German driver to race in NASCAR. The former Williams driver said that moving between the two competitions would prove hard for the seven-time world champion.

Speaking during the beginning of the 2007 season, Montoya said (via ESPN):

"People don't understand what a big challenge this style of racing is. Michael Schumacher, just take him to Homestead [Fla.] and tell him to stay half a second off the pace. He would have a heart attack."

He continued:

"It would be a hard transition [for Schumacher] for sure. It's not an easy transition. I had the advantage that I raced two years of ovals and did a little bit of stock cars with little ones when I started my career. All that really helps."

Juan Pablo Montoya's highest finish in NASCAR was 8th place in the standings in the 2009 season. During his time in the Cup Series, Montoya scored two wins, 24 Top 5s, and 59 Top 10s. He most recently had one start in the 2024 season for 23XI Racing.