Returning to Colombia before the European F1 season kicks off, Juan Pablo Montoya has said that he does not have any regrets regarding his decision to join McLaren next season, despite the Woking outfit's dreadful start to the 2004 season.

Although the Colombian saw six valuable World Championship points slip away as a result of a gearbox problem in the closing stages of last Sunday's Bahrain GP, he is not concerned at the run of poor results which has seen McLaren pick up four points from a possible fifty-four, to leave it trailing in fifth position in the constructors' championship.

"It doesn't worry me that they're bogged down," he told reporters. "And if I go to McLaren and in the first year it is a disaster, it doesn't matter to me," he added.

"I feel that McLaren's potential for the future is very good and I made the decision for that reason. Right now, they have had lots of bad luck with the car, more than anything the motor," he added, which is sure to endear him to Mercedes-Benz. "They've done lots of things that are very good for the future but right now it's very difficult.

"The truth is that it seems better to join McLaren with a car that is fast but not the winner," he continued. "Because if you join McLaren and they've got the winning car you're just joining the winning team, which isn't as worthwhile."