Juan Pablo Montoya has expressed concern over Max Verstappen’s title challenge in Formula One this year, as he has doubts over the Dutchman’s ability to cope with the pressure of being a favourite. Verstappen is currently second in the Drivers’ Championship standings, trailing Lewis Hamilton by just eight points.
Montoya, who won seven races during his own spell in F1, commented that Verstappen is accustomed to being the “hunter”, but that is no longer the case.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Montoya said: “The hardest thing for him this year is that he is in a new situation. He’s always been the hunter, not the one everyone is hunting.
“It’s great for him that he’s in this situation now, but when you’re the one being hunted, you do have to approach things a little differently.”
Regardless of how this season turns out, Montoya believes the experience of being in a close title battle with Hamilton will be invaluable for Verstappen in the future.
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Then followed the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas made an error on the first corner of the race which forced both Verstappen’s and Sergio Perez’s Red Bull from the track.
Verstappen managed to finish the race but his car was too badly damaged to compete for the podium, while Hamilton came in second.
F1 returns on August 27 at Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.
Verstappen has a decision to make with regards to his engine, as he has already used the three that each driver is allowed per season.
That means that at some point in the second half of the campaign it is likely that he will have to take a grid penalty, handing Hamilton another advantage in their duel.
Some think that Red Bull may choose to get that punishment out of the way early in Belgium as the track is known to suit their current car and the fact that the track allows for overtaking.
The following race, Verstappen’s home Grand Prix in the Netherlands, takes place at Zandvoort, where overtaking is hard to come by.
That makes taking the penalty there a more difficult proposition for Verstappen and his Red Bull team.
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