Racing
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Max Verstappen has dismissed Juan Pablo Montoya’s call for Formula 1 to punish him over his criticism of the regulations, accusing the former driver of talking “so much nonsense” and suggesting he is simply trying to stay relevant.
Asked by De Telegraaf about Montoya’s recent remarks, Verstappen made clear he saw little substance in the attack. “I don’t know what his problem is. I also can’t deal much with someone who talks so much nonsense,” the Red Bull driver said.
The exchange followed comments from Montoya after the Miami Grand Prix, where the former Formula 1 driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner argued that F1 should effectively “park” Verstappen in response to his outspoken criticism of the sport’s technical regulations. Montoya said the answer was to “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.”
That is what gave Verstappen’s response extra edge. He did not stop at rejecting the idea of any punishment. He also questioned why Montoya is given a platform around the championship at all, pointing to the Colombian’s work for Formula 1’s media operation.
“I just don’t understand why people like that get paid by Formula 1 management, because he sometimes works for them,” Verstappen said. He then took it a step further: “You wouldn’t want someone like that in the paddock, spouting so much nonsense, would you?”
The dispute is rooted in Verstappen’s criticism of this year’s rule changes, but his answer shifted the story away from the regulations themselves and onto Montoya’s motives. Rather than treating the comments as a serious argument about standards or discipline, Verstappen framed them as deliberate provocation from a pundit trying to stand apart from the rest of the conversation.
“It’s a case of: ‘If I say something different from everyone else, then I’m relevant,’” Verstappen said. In that reading, Montoya’s intervention was less about Verstappen’s conduct and more about drawing attention through a harder line than most others in the paddock were taking.
That matters because Montoya’s original suggestion was not a minor criticism of a driver’s tone. He was talking about penalty points and the prospect of a suspension, a serious escalation in a championship where licence points carry clear sporting consequences. By brushing it off as attention-seeking, Verstappen made clear he does not see the criticism as a genuine threat or as something that needs a detailed defense.
He also insisted the row has no impact on him personally, despite the severity of Montoya’s proposal. “It doesn’t bother me that much; it’s his problem. I live my life and don’t let it affect me.”
For Verstappen, the bigger issue was not the suspension talk itself but that it came from a former driver he believes is using the platform around Formula 1 to create noise rather than add insight, turning what began as a debate over regulations into a pointed clash over credibility in the paddock.