Montoya sees remarkable similarity between Verstappen and Russell

11:07, 23 Jun

byOlly Darcy

Juan Pablo Montoya has made an intriguing comparison, saying that there are similarities between Max Verstappen and George Russell.

There have been plenty of flashpoints in the rivalry between the two fierce competitors, with the most recent one coming at this year's Spanish Grand Prix, with Verstappen swerving into Russell.

However, despite the collisions and the tension that have come between the two of them many a time, Montoya believes comparables can be drawn.

“Max is doing an amazing job. He's an aggressive version of George," started the Colombian while in conversation with a betting site.

"George is a quieter guy. He's a guy that doesn't take as many risks, but speed-wise, you’ve got to say what George did in Canada with that Mercedes was amazing.”

Max Verstappen and George Russell also came to blows at the 2024 Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.

Montoya: RB21 not as bad as people think

2025 has been unpredictable for Red Bull Racing and Verstappen, with the troublesome RB21 difficult to handle. But even with that hindrance, the four-time world champion is almost always battling the leading McLarens, while teammate Yuki Tsunoda has been struggling recently after a relatively strong start. Since his debut at Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix, the Japanese driver has only scored seven points, compared to two wins and four podium positions for Verstappen in the same period.

However, Montoya does not believe that the RB21 is the issue: "I don't think the Red Bull car is as bad as people think it is. It's a car that was built for Max. It's a car that he can drive, which is not easy to drive, but the car does what he wants.

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“You look at Lewis [Hamilton] driving the Ferrari and how he's steering with the wheel, he's not sure, he gets snappy.

“You never see Max getting snappy. You never see Max out of control. The only time this year that Max had a snap and he looked out of control was when they put the hard tyres on in Barcelona at the end of the race. And then his pace was poor.

“He was out of his comfort zone, and he got rattled. Other than that, the car is being competitive. It drives very differently from what everybody else drives."

However, even with a struggling car, Montoya expects Verstappen to set the tone again at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, with the Dutchman winning four of the last seven races around the Red Bull Ring.

“I think Red Bull should be very strong in Austria because it's the type of circuit where you need a bit of traction, but it's not crazy.

“You have a lot of flowing corners, a little bit like Japan, like long corners. And it's the type of circuit where Red Bull can shine. Max is going to be really, really tough there again,” concluded Montoya.