Montoya is tipping McLaren to bring Renault's winning run to a halt in the Australian Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday.
"We had a big handicap at the early races because we struggled with the engine, but I think now the engine is running well and it lasted two races no problem for me so here should be a big step forward," Montoya said on Today.
"We just keep bringing our aerodynamic packages forward and the engine keeps improving. "We are still a little bit behind Renault on speed but it will be interesting to see as we have a new engine here.
"If we have a car that is competitive and everything goes well we should be able to fight them in the race. "I'm not sure about one lap in qualifying, but the only way to beat them is to be a bit smarter than them in the race."
"I think we have a good chance of winning the championship this year and I need to try to score points every race and have a chance of winning," he said.
It would be great to see McLaren win just to mix the bag up, but Can Montoya do it?