Driver-turned-pundit Juan Pablo Montoya has blasted the current crop of Formula 1 drivers, and Max Verstappen in particular, for being excessively negative about the latest regulations.
Speaking on the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast, Montoya said public criticism of the state of F1 should be punished via penalty points on drivers’ licences, escalating to race suspensions.
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The effects of the new regulations on the style of racing became a febrile topic even before they came into effect. Drivers who tested the 2026 cars in simulation last year expressed strong reservations, and many of them have continued to voice their dislike in public – despite the pressure from the commercial rights holder, via the teams, to stop.
While the Mercedes drivers and Lewis Hamilton got the memo, others – most vocally Verstappen – have continued to express their opinions forcefully. During the podcast, the conversation moved from the general to the specific very sharply.
“You’ve got to respect the sport,” Montoya told co-hosts Harry Benjamin and 1996 world champion Damon Hill.
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“For me, what the drivers were doing… I’m OK you not liking the regulations, but the way you were speaking about what you’re living off and your own sport, you should be… there should be consequences for that.”
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“When you say ‘consequences’, like what?” asked Hill. “Fining Max for saying something negative, do you think?”
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“Park him,” replied Montoya.
“What, ban him from a race?” interjected Benjamin.
“Yeah, add seven points to the licence, eight points to the licence… Whatever you do after, you’re gonna be parked.
“And I guarantee you, all the message would be different.
“I’m not saying ‘don’t be outspoken’, but don’t come and call an F1 car a Mario Kart.”
Montoya won seven grands prix from 94 starts for Williams and McLaren between 2001 and 2006. A firebrand behind the wheel, he came to the attention of Williams F1 founder Frank Williams while racing for Helmut Marko’s RSM Marko team in 1997 in Formula 3000, where he won three races.
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Montoya announced his arrival in F1 with a dramatic pass on Michael Schumacher in the 2001 Brazilian GP
Montoya announced his arrival in F1 with a dramatic pass on Michael Schumacher in the 2001 Brazilian GP
Williams signed Montoya as a test driver for 1998, which he dovetailed with a second season in F3000 – albeit with David Sears Racing, having fallen out with Marko. Among the highlights of his victorious campaign was a bravura three-car overtake in the wet at Hockenheim, during which he briefly took to the grass.
Ultimately Williams opted for Alex Zanardi to fill the seat vacated by Jacques Villeneuve for 1999, and Montoya spent the following two seasons plying his trade in America, winning the CART championship and the Indy 500, before making his grand prix debut with Williams in 2001.
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A move to McLaren for 2005 foundered as team boss Ron Dennis disapproved of Montoya’s work ethic and fondness for fast food, and Montoya grew disenchanted with F1’s corporate politics. He quit F1 for NASCAR at the end of the 2006 season.
In recent years Montoya has returned after a long absence to support the racing career of his son Sebastian and ply his trade as part of that constituency of ex-drivers who offer controversialist ‘hot takes’ on matters of moment – albeit without rocking the boat too hard.
Ahead of each grand prix weekend, the commercial rights holder emails those ex-drivers returning to the paddock as ‘ambassadors’ and such a long and detailed list of talking points to ensure they stay ‘on message’. Being racing drivers, most of them delete this without reading it.
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Montoya had a less than happy time driving for Helmut Marko in F3000 in 1997
Montoya had a less than happy time driving for Helmut Marko in F3000 in 1997
Still, while F1 remains highly sensitive on the topic of the 2026 regulations and the drivers’ response to them, its policy has been to lean on the teams to cajole them into keeping their opinions to themselves. Penalty points are not on the menu just yet.
For the most part, Montoya has stuck to the party line in commentary. Ahead of the Miami GP weekend he reflected critically on the racing during his own time in F1, describing it as processional and entirely dependent on car performance.
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There are those who wonder if the negativity around Verstappen springs from Montoya’s long-standing beef with Marko, a close ally of ‘Team Max’.
Last week Marko gave an interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit in which he said Montoya “didn’t make the most of his abilities” in his racing career. In a previous interview he described him as “a lazy bastard”.
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