Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Juan Pablo Montoya has called for Max Verstappen to be pushed to the edge of a Formula 1 race ban, arguing the Red Bull driver’s repeated attacks on the 2026 rules have crossed from criticism into disrespect for the sport.
Speaking on the BBC Chequered Flag podcast, Montoya said Verstappen should receive seven or eight penalty points on his FIA super licence because of the way he has publicly described Formula 1’s new direction. “You’ve got to respect the sport,” the former Williams and McLaren driver said. “For me, what the drivers are doing, I’m okay with you not liking the regulations, but the way you were speaking about what you’re living off and your own sport, there should be consequences for that.”
Montoya then proposed a sanction severe enough to leave Verstappen on the brink of suspension. “Park him. Add seven points to the licence, eight points to the licence. Whatever you do after, you’re going to be parked. I guarantee you all the messaging would be different,” he said.
That suggestion carries weight because Verstappen already has three penalty points on his super licence following his incident with George Russell at last year’s Spanish Grand Prix. A total of 12 points triggers an automatic one-race ban, so the extra punishment Montoya suggested would leave the four-time world champion perilously close to the threshold.
The argument comes out of Verstappen’s long-running opposition to the 2026 regulations. Since pre-season testing, he has been one of the most vocal critics of the package, describing it as “anti-racing” and “Formula E on steroids,” and comparing the new cars to “Mario Kart.” He has also argued that the rules force drivers to “go slower to go faster” because of the emphasis on energy management.
Montoya insisted he is not arguing that drivers should stay quiet if they dislike the rules. His issue, he said, is the tone and framing of the criticism. “I’m not saying, ‘Don’t say that you don’t like the regulations’, because if you don’t like it, you have the complete right to an opinion,” he said. “It’s okay to be outspoken. I’m not saying don’t be outspoken, but don’t come and call an F1 car a Mario Kart.”
He also suggested Verstappen’s public stance may not be entirely his own, saying team politics can shape what drivers say in public. Montoya said there are “two things there,” namely what Verstappen really feels and “what the team is probably asking him to say,” adding that political messaging remains an important part of Formula 1.
His intervention sharpens an already heated debate around the 2026 rules by shifting it from whether drivers should criticize them to whether Formula 1 should punish the way its leading figures talk about the championship itself.