Speaking exclusively to Spin Genie, former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya said that Lando Norris needs to focus on his own driving and that his ‘desperate’ attempts against Max Verstappen are damaging his title charge against OscarPiastri.
The Colombian also says that Carlos Sainz Sr would be a good change to the FIA Presidency if it’s necessary, and claims there would be no conflict of interest.
Montoya believes Ferrari need to listen to Lewis Hamilton after he was ordered to stay behind Charles Leclerc in Miami and hindering the team’s chance the maximise the race results.
Read the full interview below:
Q. What did you make of the race in Miami?
JPM: "Miami was a good race, it was interesting. Lando Norris put himself in an unnecessary position at the start of the race. He's trying to fight Max Verstappen in a bit of a desperate manner, I think. If Norris were more analytical and determined, it would be easier for him.
"Norris is always the kind of guy who wants to show the car, he's trying to force Verstappen into a mistake that will never come."
Q. Verstappen seems to have the upper hand on Norris?
JPM: "Norris needs to change his approach. He was in a prime position, he outqualified OscarPiastri and had more pace than him. One bad decision hurt his race. I still think Norris managed to recover well, but he needs to focus on his own speed and drive to the best of his ability.
"Norris needs to take Piastri out of the equation. If he focuses on himself and his own speed, he can beat Verstappen and he'll automatically beat Piastri."
Q. There’s a clip of Norris giving the middle finger whilst racing against Verstappen, is this the end of their friendship?
JPM: "We're all different when the helmet is on. The problem for Lando Norris, you can take the fight to Max Verstappen, but the more points you're giving away to OscarPiastri. Everyone loves to see the fight between Norris and Verstappen, but it is completely unnecessary for his fight for the championship."
Q. Is Piastri the main focus for McLaren? Is he more likely to win the Championship?
JPM: "OscarPiastri and Lando Norris are still finishing one-two. The only concern for McLaren at the moment is the Constructors Championship and they have the only two drivers consistently gaining points every week. Norris and Piastrihaven't come together yet, and they keep doing the right thing.
"There will be a point, which we're all hoping for, when the Drivers Championship gets tight and the main aim will be not to hit each other, but they will race hard. McLaren will be so far ahead in the Constructors, they will let the drivers race at some point. They could hit each other during a race and McLaren will try to shut down any racing and say 'you guys are not mature enough to race each other properly, yet'. When they do race, it will be great for the McLaren name and the viewers to watch."
Q. What will happen at Imola?
JPM: "In my time in F1, you could have a set-up for qualifying and a set-up for the racing. The problem now is that McLaren are totally focused on their race pace, they're not focusing on getting the quickest lap in qualifying. They know they have the superior car in the races.
"I know Lando Norris a little better than OscarPiastri, so I hope Norris can win in Imola. It will be interesting to see what Kimi Antonelli can do in Italy. I think the Red Bull will be quick in Imola's qualifying because they still have very good high-speed racing, and Imola suits that. The McLarens will probably pull away from the rest of the cars."
Q. What would a win in Imola mean to Antonelli and Italy?
JPM: "You look at Kimi Antonelli in Miami, why was he so good in qualifying but not as impressive in the race? It's because Antonelli doesn't have enough knowledge, George Russell knows what he needs to get more pace out of the car. Antonelli will learn and Mercedes are fully committed to him.
"I don't think a win at Imola is on the cards for Antonelli, the Mercedes is not strong enough and Russell is more consistent than him."
Q. Carlos Sainz Snr is considering running for the FIA President, would you support him in this role?
JPM: "I really like Carlos Sainz Sr, I get on with him really well. I think if he's running for the FIA Presidency, it would be a good change for F1 if it's necessary. At the moment, when people look at what is wrong with the sport, they blame Mohammed Ben Sulayem. For example, the swearing rules annoyed a lot of people, and he lost a lot of confidence from it. At the end of the day, if everyone in F1 hates him, wouldn't that change the votes? It's a very political system.
"Would Sainz Sr get in if it's based on votes? I don't know. Usually, FIA Presidents last a lot longer, but out of all the choices to replace Ben Sulayem, Sainz Sr is a really good one. Why would Sainz Sr want to get that involved? I'm not sure. He's still a driver and it's easy to say there will be a conflict of interest with his son. If something goes wrong, everyone will question that.
"With Carlos Sainz Jr at Williams, I don't think there will be a problem there. Unless Sainz Jr did something really wrong and his dad interferes with the stewards during a race, there shouldn't be a problem."
Q. What happens to Doohan for the rest of his career? Is it done in F1?
JPM: "I think Jack Doohan will remain a reserve driver at Alpine. If I were him, I'd push for a Cadillac seat next year. Or remain at the reserve, if Franco Colapinto doesn't perform, Doohan can put the pressure on Alpine. I think Colapinto is quicker on one lap than Doohan, but Doohan can manage a whole race better, so we'll see."
Q. What will happen to Max Verstappen?
JPM: "All the news about drivers moving teams are rumours, so we don't know anything for sure. But, supposedly, Max Verstappen would have to be out of the top three of the Drivers Championship to activate a release clause in his contract. So if Verstappen continues the way he is, there's no way out of the Red Bull. The only out he can have would be not to race next year and take a sabbatical.
"I think a sabbatical for Verstappen would be stupid. People will look at Verstappen in a different way when he comes back, a little bit like what happened to Michael Schumacher. Verstappen will come back to try and prove a point, he'll be overly aggressive and it will spiral out of control."
Q. Oliver Oakes has left Alpine, do you think Briatore got his way?
JPM: "For me, it's very surprising that Flavio Briatore is back in charge, but I think he'll be there for a couple of weeks whilst Alpine find a replacement principal. I don't think Briatore wants the job.
"Briatore lives in Monaco, he has a really good life and has done everything in F1. It makes sense to have a job similar to Helmut Marko, but I can't see him working on a day-to-day basis in the UK factories, sitting in meetings and conducting staff reviews. Maybe he wants that role, but I don't know.
"I don't know what's happened with Ollie Oakes. My initial thought is that he wanted to keep Jack Doohan in the team, he outqualified Pierre Gasly and did the job he needed to do. But, before the race even happened, they knew Doohan was already out. Doohan could have gone on to win the race in Miami and he still would have been kicked out."
Q. Hamilton had heated exchanges with his engineer, is this the start of a crumble at Ferrari?
JPM: "Lewis Hamilton wants to perform, he wants the team to do the right thing, there needs to be a point where Ferrari listen to him. The way Ferrari have done things the last few years has been good, but not great. They consistently build a car to win a couple of races and come third in the Constructors' Championship. It's like the Williams car I drove in, it was good, but it wasn't a great car. The Ferrari is a quick car but it looks so hard to drive. People will say Charles Leclerc is driving well, but they need to take the politics out of their decisions in-race. You can't put Hamilton on softer tyres and keep him behind Leclerc, it killed his tyres, there was nothing to push with by the time they swapped.
"Hamilton's comments to the engineer were him trying to set a principle, they need to maximise their decisions and make them quicker. Leclerc and Hamilton should have swapped straightaway.
"Leclerc will be happy that Hamilton is unhappy at the moment. At the end of the day, it's not about which driver is happy at Ferrari, it's about making the right decision to maximise their points. Ferrari are too concerned with making the right call that they're hindering the team's performance. McLaren did that last season and they could have had a World Champion."
Q. George Russell, once again, does nothing in the race but ends up on the podium, is that a sign of a great driver? Is he an underdog for the Championship?
JPM: "George Russell is doing a similar job to Max Verstappen. They're just consistently racking up points. Verstappen and Red Bull were as surprised as anyone in Miami's qualifying. Yeah, Red Bull had upgrades which helped but look how the car fell off during the race. The gap in qualifying is barely anything to the McLarens, and you know the McLarens can be a second quicker than the Red Bull every lap."
Q. Is it a matter of time before Christian Horner and Red Bull will part ways? Is he responsible for the team’s demise?
JPM: "I think the appearance of 'bad blood' in the Red Bull team is more from the media than the feeling on the inside, especially the British media, which can be cutthroat. When you see Christian Horner's interactions with the team and how he speaks on camera, it all looks fine. If you read the media, you're made to think there's a big problem within the team.
"It's calmed down for now, but it can get a lot of attention again. There's always a fight for power at Red Bull. Helmut Marko said Sebastian Vettel would be his ideal replacement, but I'd be surprised if Vettel wants to replace him. Vettel would be much fairer, and it would change the development of Red Bull drivers. Spending all your weeks in F1 to not race the car seems crazy."
Q. What would Horner do after Red Bull? Could you see him trying to launch his own team F1 like Ross Brawn did?
JPM: "I don't see Christian Horner creating his own team like Ross Brawn did. Red Bull has too much invested in Horner, and he has too much invested in Red Bull. Horner is still young, though, we'll have to see."
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