Dennis: Montoya penalty too harsh.

McLaren team boss Ron Dennis has claimed that the decision to exclude Juan Pablo Montoya from the Canadian Grand Prix for allegedly exiting the pits under a red light was not commensurate with the crime committed.

Whilst neither confirming or denying that his charge had broken the rules governing pit-lane etiquette, Dennis admitted that a series of mistakes had led up to Montoya's alleged misdemeanour, and to the Colombian ceding the lead to team-mate Kimi Raikkonen as the safety car came out to clear away Jenson Button's crashed BAR-Honda.

"Throughout the race, we had to take some difficult decisions, which only increased the pressure on the pitwall," he told journalists in Montreal, "Against this backdrop, the mistake was made of not calling Juan Pablo in immediately after the deployment of the safety car.

"Of course, that meant that Kimi had an advantage, because he went back out in the lead. When Juan Pablo came in, he was surprisingly calm, and followed the instructions of his engineer to stay left of the white blend line on exit. However, what we didn't do was to remind him to look for a red light."

Montoya exited the pits just as the safety car led the queuing pack past the slip road, and the Colombian forced his way back into the line after shouldering aside David Coulthard. Initial stewards' investigations were thought to reflect this move, but later revealed that JPM was being targeted for his red light violation.

"Juan reckons he could have rejoined under what could have been a blue and red light," Dennis continued, "I felt the penalty didn't fit the crime, that it was too harsh for what Juan was supposed to have done."

Dennis remained convinced that, had the errors not been committed, Montoya could have gone on to win his first race for McLaren, suggesting that an engineering of the result would not have taken place to capitalise on the retirement of points leader Fernando Alonso.

"A one-two was possible, and would have most likely seen Juan Pablo take his first victory for the team," he insisted, "However, there are many more races this season and, as always, as a team, we will bear the consequences of our actions - whether they are positive or negative. Our strategy for the remaining races remains unchanged. We will attack with a clear intention of winning with a firm and continuing commitment to equality for the drivers."