Dixon brushes off Montoya's s**t season comments

Scott Dixon celebrates atop his car after winning the IndyCar championship. Photo / AP

Four-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon has brushed off comments made by rival Juan Pablo Montoya, after the Columbian said the New Zealander had a s**t season and didn't deserve to win the title.

Pablo Montoya was leading the championship heading into the final lap of the final race at Sonoma on Monday.

But with Dixon leading the race, and Montoya finishing sixth, the Kiwi driver collected double points at the season finale to pip the Colombian for the title on race wins countback.

Despite Dixon winning three races this season, and Montoya just two; the Team Penske driver said Dixon had just one good race.

"Dixon had a s*** season all year and had one good race, and we paid the penalty," Montoya told Autosport.com.

"It sucks, but when you make the last race double-points on a road course and you change the tyre and you do everything you did for this weekend and you put so many variables, it doesn't even matter what you do all year."

Speaking to Radio Sport yesterday, Dixon was diplomatic in assessing Montoya's remark but made the point that both drivers had won one double points race.

Had double points not been in place, Dixon noted his team Chip Ganassi Racing, would still have finished on top to claim the championship.

"It was the heat of the moment and emotions were high and I would be extremely disappointed and angry at that point where you lose it after leading the championship all season," said Dixon.

"And I think some of it was taken out of context and maybe it wasn't, I don't know.

"Factually, he [Montoya] won the other double points race, which was the Indianapolis 500, so that right there is fair if you look at it that way.

"But more importantly, if you took the double points away we would have won by three points.

"So it definitely wasn't a part of the equation and it's just how it goes."

Dixon added he had previously felt the disappointment of narrow defeat after being in the box seat to claim the title. This time however, the records would show he was the overall winner.

"I've been on the other side of this before where we thought we had a strong race, we were leading, and we had it swept from under our feet," he said.

"In 2007, we made it to the last corner and ran out of fuel. In 2009, Dario [Franchitti] changed up strategy and came down to the last pit stop and ended up winning.

"So it is what it is and ultimately we won the championship and that's what people remember."

The 35-year-old is now hoping to visit New Zealand later this year and will spend Christmas in England, while the new season looms just around the corner.

"At some point, we're looking mid-November maybe late November [to visit New Zealand]," he said.

"We'll be in England actually, for Christmas this year, on our rotation of England, New Zealand, America. So it's pretty busy.

"But we start testing on the 22nd of September, so [I have] a couple of weeks full of stuff and then back in the car, so I'm looking forward to that."