Juan Pablo Montoya responds to brutal Max Verstappen dig in Martin Bru | F1 | Sport
Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya wore a wry smile as he issued a three-word response to Max Verstappen‘s scathing public criticism of him. The Colombian former racer was targeted by four-time world champion Verstappen in response to Montoya’s comment after the Miami Grand Prix earlier this month.
Montoya accused Verstappen of failing to “respect the sport”, calling for points to be added to the Red Bull racer’s FIA superlicence as a consequence for criticising F1’s new cars repetitively and publicly. Those comments clearly caught the attention of Verstappen’s camp as he issued a brutal retort in an interview with De Telegraaf.
“I don’t know what his problem is. I can’t really be bothered with someone who talks so much rubbish,” Verstappen said of Montoya. “I just don’t understand why people like that are paid by Formula 1 management, because he sometimes works for them. Surely you don’t want someone like that in the paddock, spouting so much nonsense?
“I think it’s a case of: ‘I’ll say something different from everyone else, then I’ll be relevant’. I don’t really care. It’s his problem. I live my life and don’t let it affect me. Sometimes I can read people quite easily. And someone gives you a certain feeling, good or bad. When I’m done with someone, I’m really done with them.”
Verstappen’s words have also clearly made it back to Montoya, as he knew exactly what Martin Brundle was talking about when the Sky Sports favourite brought it up during his grid walk ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday. “You seem to have upset the Verstappens…” Brundle said, prompting Montoya’s smirk and brief reply: “Anything new there?”
It was a rather uneventful grid walk otherwise, as far as Brundle’s pre-race traditions go. Celebrities were scarce despite plenty being in attendance at the race, though he did grab some time with actress Emily Hampshire, famous for her role as Stevie Budd in comedy series Schitt’s Creek.
And she was clearly waiting for her chance to speak with Brundle, as she greeted him with a huge smile before offering him a gift in the form of a small Canadian chocolate bar. “I’ve never been given a gift on the grid walk before,” Brundle smiled, before thanking the actress.
Hampshire was wearing a white Mercedes cap signed by both their drivers, as she was attending the race as a guest of the Silver Arrows. Rather diplomatically, she was unwilling to pick one over the other when Brundle asked her who she was cheering on, instead simply stating she wanted to see Mercedes continue their perfect record of Grand Prix wins in 2026.
