Juan Pablo Montoya was out at Le Mans with DragonSpeed USA this weekend, a good time to meet the Colombian and chat about this season’s Formula 1 battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Former Williams and McLaren F1 driver Montoya cheers the Red Bull ace for ending the monotony of Mercedes domination and thus ending Hamilton’s remarkable run of world titles.
During an interview with Motorsport Netherlands, Montoya was asked about Verstappen and his chances in this intense F1 World Championship in 2021. he replied: “Max has done a very good job so far. The hardest thing for him this year is that he is in a new situation.
“He was always the hunter, not the one everyone else is hunting. It’s great for him to be in this situation right now, but when you are the one who is being hunted, you need to do things a little differently.
“For example, drivers who were not so aggressive in a duel in the past can suddenly be very aggressive now. We saw that with Lewis. Hopefully Max can win the championship this year, but one way or another it’s going to be a great experience for him looking to the future. “
Montoya points to Silverstone where Verstappen and Hamilton lined up wheel to wheel, where the inevitable collision happened and – no matter who did what – the reality that day was no points for the # 33 car while the # 44 drove to victory.
“Max had a car at Silverstone that was much faster than the Mercedes,” said Montoya. “He could have let Lewis pass and got him back on strategy, but the Max we know doesn’t like to take off the gas.
“I would have done exactly the same thing when I was younger. I wouldn’t have taken off the gas either. But with the knowledge and experience I have now, I would do it if I knew I was in the faster car.
“However, Max was used to situations where he was on the attack side and others took off for him. But now he’s found out the hard way that Lewis is no longer lifting for him. “
With Red Bull and Verstappen turning their game into real rivals this season, Hamilton had to do the same, and this was evidenced by the punches he gave to teammate Valtteri Bottas, who has already shown his ability to play his A game to the next notch.
Montoya continues: “Lewis always had the best car, so he never had to take risks. It was going to fall over a season anyway. Now we’re seeing a completely different Lewis that we haven’t seen in a few years. And that’s positive. We see him pushing like we haven’t seen for years.
“He is forced to go deeper than in previous years and must mentally and physically tap barrels that he has not tapped for some time. Because it just wasn’t necessary. I think Max made sure we see a new Lewis because now he has to go a step further. And that’s great for sport. “
Series wins have done Mercedes no favor in terms of popularity, ditto Hamilton. 16 titles in eight years have been great for their fans, but the rest longed for a change of guard while Verstappen’s Wind of Change picked up, Yours is an enemy of ours ”.
But Montoya is skeptical of what the next 12 rounds will bring and insists that it is not a slam dunk for Verstappen: “It is difficult to predict how this year will end. The fact that Lewis has become world champion so often is also because he has already seen it all. And the Mercedes got a little faster again before the summer break.
“I assume that this will also affect the rest of the season. Mercedes was really quick in Hungary and I think that came as a surprise to everyone. I found that surprising in any case.
“I think at Red Bull they should talk less and concentrate more on what needs to be done on the track. After the Silverstone incident, they went a bit far to make a point instead of leaving everything behind and looking ahead, which I think was the best, ”said Montoya, a seven-time Grand Prix winner.
