Montoya understands Mercedes: ‘Hamilton was treated unfairly’

According to Montoya, race officials should have waved the red flag immediately after Williams driver Nicholas Latifi crashed and therefore disagree with the rulings. Even if he regularly sees situations like this occur in the United States: “But it depends on that. [in Amerika] depending on the show they want to put on. In Formula 1, mainly strict rules apply. I don’t know if it is [Michael] Masi was or the stewards, but making such decisions is very difficult. The intention was, of course, to get another race, “Montoya said in an exclusive interview. Motorsport.com.

I thought Verstappen was driving too aggressively

Juan Pablo Montoya

However, the two-time winner of the Indy 500 does not agree with the decisions taken. According to Montoya, the match should have been abandoned. “If they really wanted to put on a good show, they should have waved the red flag right after the Latifi crash. That way you still have a few laps to go. Now they’ve got themselves into a bad situation, to cause the rules at their own will. Verstappen and Red Bull rightly took full advantage of it by winning the title in this way. Mercedes is appealing to that and in a way they are right. [tijdens de neutralisatie] apply to all drivers. Sainz no longer participates suddenly because he is third? “

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The Safety Car Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M, Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521, the rest of the peloton

Photo holder: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport images

In this case, the race management did not opt ​​for a code red, but only for the safety car. Montoya thinks the flight attendants should have followed the rules. “If you’re not going to get a red flag, follow the rules. In the Indy 500 it always has been. Something happens, the red flag comes up and there’s a restart with three or four laps to go. do. In what “In this case, it was probably to reunite Verstappen and Hamilton. Verstappen was riding on cooler tires, while Hamilton was on very old tires. So for Hamilton, the decision was unfair. There are a lot of things that could have been done differently, but it is still very difficult. “

If Montoya had been in Mercedes’ place, the Colombian would have fought to the end: “The rules are set. Red Bull Racing now says Mercedes must not behave like this and accept defeat. If Red Bull Racing had been in this position, they would have gone against it now. Then Mercedes had just said that Red Bull had to accept the loss. It depends on which side you belong to. “

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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo door: Red Bull Content Pool

When asked if there is a small flaw in the controversial final race, he replies: “The race management obviously wants to put on a certain spectacle for the viewers. People who don’t follow the sport every week saw a great run and a great ending. You get new fans. That way more people will watch Formula 1, “Montoya continues.” But when you work in Formula 1 it’s different. Many pilots also wondered what had happened. “Why are the gentlemen between these two men [Verstappen en Hamilton] carried away. Why don’t we all get the right position. ‘ It was because they [de wedstrijdleiding] couldn’t do that to put on a good show. They shouldn’t have. Is it bad for the sport if Hamilton is ultimately declared the champion because it’s something people don’t want to hear? I think during the match there should be no contact with the match director. The teams must go see him afterwards. Now he seems to have an influence [op de beslissingen]. In my opinion, it looks bad on TV. “

The Colombian rider also has some comments on Verstappen’s racing attitude in the latter part of the season. According to the seven-time Grand Prix winner, the Dutchman was too aggressive and needed to be fought harder. “Verstappen was pretty aggressive in the latter part of the season, a bit too much for me. He got away with that and if you get by with that then you start asking questions when you get penalized. Stewards themselves are in this position They should have handled his aggression sooner. “