Tennis accident key to Montoya exit, says Dennis

SHANGHAI, Oct 1 (Reuters) Juan Pablo Montoya's shock decision to turn his back on Formula One for NASCAR can be traced back to an off-track accident last year, McLaren team boss Ron Dennis said today.

''The accident that damaged his shoulder was very counter-productive, it took that year out of play,'' he told reporters at the Chinese Grand Prix.

''That created some tensions, but not tensions that anyone created other than the circumstances that existed as a result of that.'' Colombian Montoya missed two races in the early part of last season after fracturing his shoulder, officially while working out with a game of tennis, although there was strong speculation in the paddock that he had fallen off a motocross bike.

He returned in pain at the Spanish Grand Prix but the championship was already turning into a straight fight between his Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen and Renault's Fernando Alonso.

Although Montoya won three races last year, Raikkonen won seven, the same number as Alonso who was then signed as a McLaren driver from 2007 before the start of the new season.

McLaren have been less competitive from the start of this year and are facing their first season in a decade without a race victory.

Montoya was replaced in July after announcing that he was moving to NASCAR to drive a Dodge for the Chip Ganassi team. He started testing last week after an agreement was finally hammered out with McLaren.

Dennis said he had nothing negative to say about the driver and the split was not acrimonious.

''He was everything you would expect him to be,'' he said. ''A fiery South American in and out of the car.

''He brought more colour to the team and Formula One.'' REUTERS PDS MIR RAI123