Max Verstappen has hit back at Juan Pablo Montoya after weeks of criticism from the former Formula 1 driver, escalating a dispute that has simmered through the opening months of the 2026 season. Speaking to Dutch outlet Telegraaf, the four-time world champion questioned both Montoya’s commentary and why he was in the paddock at all.
Verstappen’s anger is tied to Formula 1’s sweeping 2026 rule overhaul, which introduced new power units drawing roughly 50% of their output from electrical battery power and active aerodynamic systems known as Straight Mode and Overtake Mode. He said the new format felt like “playing Mario Kart” and was “not fun at all,” adding: “You are boosting past, then you run out of battery the next straight, they boost past you again.” He added: “For me, it’s just a joke.”
Montoya addressed the dispute on the ’s Chequered Flag podcast alongside co-host Harry Benjamin and 1996 world champion Damon Hill, arguing that drivers who speak disparagingly about the sport should face formal consequences. “You’ve got to respect the sport,” Montoya said. “I’m OK with you not liking the regulations, but the way you were speaking about what you’re living off and your own sport, you should be… There should be consequences for that.” He also suggested discipline with the super licence system, saying: “Park him. Add seven points to the licence, eight points to the licence.” Under current FIA rules, a driver who reaches 12 penalty points on a super licence within 12 months gets an automatic race ban.
The former race winner also took aim at Verstappen’s performance at the Miami Grand Prix, where the Dutchman spun 360 degrees on the opening lap, recovered to finish fifth and later received a five-second penalty for crossing the white line at the pit exit during a safety car period. Montoya dismissed that recovery as luck rather than skill and brushed off the pit lane incident.
The exchange lands in the middle of a broader fallout over the 2026 regulations, which have unsettled drivers across the grid by changing both the power units and the aerodynamics at once. Montoya’s criticism was driven in part by Verstappen’s own public complaints about the new rules and by the Miami race, where the champion’s recovery still left enough room for rivals and pundits to argue over what the new era rewards: precision, patience or plain fortune. Verstappen, for his part, made clear he is not interested in hearing more from Montoya.
