Juan Pablo Montoya believes that the 10-second penalty given to Max Verstappen doesn’t make sense. He thinks Verstappen deserved a penalty but questions why it was harsher than the five-second one Lando Norris got in the United States Grand Prix.
The incident in Austin sparked a debate about Formula 1’s rules and how they are enforced. While Martin Brundle supported stricter penalties, Montoya had a different opinion.
Montoya’s Perspective on Penalties
Montoya argues that the stewards shouldn’t be tougher on Max. “He knows the rules and pushes them,” he said. The first penalty was fair because Lando had the right of way at the corner, but for the second one, Montoya thinks Max should have let Lando pass after missing the corner. He is puzzled by the inconsistency: “Why does Max get ten seconds when Lando got only five? It doesn’t make sense.”
Fans might wonder if these penalties are really fair or just random decisions.
The Media’s Role in Verstappen’s Image
Montoya worries that Verstappen’s attitude towards the stewards and media could cause problems for him. He relates to Verstappen’s feeling of being an outsider, saying, “I did F1 and hated it because it was too political.” Montoya recalls how he felt like an outsider too, especially with British media coverage.
Adrian Newey recently pointed out how Sky Sports often portrays Verstappen negatively. Montoya agrees, sharing his own experience of being disliked by some British media during his F1 career. He faced challenges as a Colombian driver replacing British favorites like Button and Coulthard.
Montoya also mentioned having Ralf Schumacher as a teammate, which made things harder since he was competing against Michael Schumacher’s brother. “Everything we read is biased against Max,” he said.
He concluded by noting that Dutch media tells a different story about these incidents but isn’t widely read outside the Netherlands. They might even call Lando a wuss for not being more aggressive!
What do you think about all this? Is it fair or just part of racing drama?
