Montoya claims Mercedes are 'terrified' of Red Bull after Verstappen's Sepang masterclass

Last weekend at Sepang, Verstappen took pole and then won in difficult wet conditions. It was his first victory of 2026. Antonelli finished second to limit the damage, but the championship leader could only get close to the RB22 during the safety car periods.

That made the result even harder to take for Mercedes. Sepang was also where the Silver Arrows introduced their second major upgrade package of the season.

Before the weekend, Montoya had expected McLaren and Mercedes to be in a league of their own in Malaysia. Verstappen was competitive from the very first session, and the Colombian says the team that surprised him most was the one leading the championship.

Montoya was clear that the problem was not a lack of speed from the Brackley team. "They had pace, they really did have pace, but Kimi didn't have Max's pace," he continued.

He is not the only one in the paddock who sees Red Bull as a new threat to Mercedes. GPblog previously reported, Oscar Piastri tipped Red Bull for a return to form.

Singapore is the last sprint weekend of the season, and Antonelli arrives with a 320 to 236 lead over teammate George Russell. The gap grew at Sepang, where Russell retired late in the race. A grid penalty for exceeding his power unit allocation will also send Russell to the back for Sunday's race.

Earlier on Friday, the only practice session suggested Mercedes are not standing still. Russell topped FP1 by 0.198 seconds from Charles Leclerc. Antonelli was down in seventh after a late mistake ruined his final push lap.

Verstappen finished sixth, 0.732 seconds off Russell, after spending half the session without team radio. Both Red Bull drivers and Antonelli also did their flying laps on the medium tyres, which means the timesheet probably does not show the true picture before Sprint Qualifying.

Sprint Qualifying will show whether Montoya's verdict holds up at Marina Bay. Verstappen has already made his own ambitions for this circuit clear as he has 'unfinished business' in Singapore.