Montoya sees Red Bull dominating: 'Others become champions with that'

Former driver Juan-Pablo Montoya has expressed his admiration for Red Bull's RB19 and Max Verstappen. In an interview with the Colombian Semana, the Colombian indicated that he thinks Verstappen still has the same speed as in the year he captured his first championship, but that the difference is made by the dominant Red Bull. In addition, Montoya also sees other drivers grabbing the championship, provided they would take over Verstappen's place.

Montoya on Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen are dominating Formula 1 this year. All races until the summer break were won by the Austrian racing stable, and often by a wide margin over the competition. Juan-Pablo Montoya agrees and sees a lethal combination with Verstappen in the Red Bull:"Verstappen is doing great at the moment. He seems as dominant as when Hamilton won everything. Max is a fantastic driver, combined with the best car in the field. I think Verstappen's speed is still the same as in 2021, but the car is just much faster."

According to Montoya, there are still a number of drivers in the current field who could do the same if they took over Verstappen's plaas. The Colombian says:"Instead of Max, in my view there are seven or eight more drivers who would become world champions with Red Bull. Perez, Hamilton, Sainz, Leclerc or Norris could do it". However, Montoya does stress that talent plays a big part in this, and also heaps praise on McLaren driver Lando Norris. "The better you are, the more you have a chance of getting a seat at a top team. Norris, for example, is a very good driver. McLaren has really improved a lot this year, but in a Red Bull he would be world champion."

Montoya retorts to Hamilton

Finally, the former Williams and McLaren driver also gives a small sneer at Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. He finds it unfortunate that Hamilton complains about the ease with which Verstappen wins races and pointed Hamilton back to the era when Mercedes dominated the sport. "When you don't win it's very easy to complain. When Lewis [Hamilton] won everything, he indicated that the Mercedes did not give him an extra advantage. On the contrary, Mercedes' advantage then was as big as what Red Bull has now," the Colombian said.