Max Verstappen had an incredible race in Brazil, going from 17th to first place, but what also amazed former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya was that no one tried to resist him.
Even Esteban Ocon did not try despite the victory at stake according to the Colombian.
Verstappen was in second position when the race was stopped by a red flag after Franco Colapinto crashed behind the safety car.
The timing was perfect for Verstappen, who was able to fit a new set of intermediate tires without having to make a pit stop, just like the Alpine drivers. The peloton lined up for the restart with Ocon leading ahead of Verstappen and Pierre Gasly.
But it didn’t take long for Verstappen to overtake Ocon to win the race by a margin of almost 20 seconds.
Without taking anything away from Verstappen’s incredible run, Montoya was unimpressed that his rivals got out of his way so easily. It reminded him of Michael Schumacher, who was also so dominant on the track that his rivals simply gave way to him.
“It’s a bit like with Michael when he was coming back. When that happened, people got out of his way.”
“Look, Max had a great race, but no one ever challenges him. No one fights him. Ocon gave him the lead and ended up behind and that’s it.”
“But if it’s someone else who’s threatening, they’ll fight until they kill themselves. It’s amazing how differently people run depending on who’s behind them.”
“Only Charles and Lewis are capable of resisting him.”
This season, Lando Norris has been the only driver to regularly challenge Verstappen wheel to wheel, with the highlights of these battles being Austria, Austin and Mexico.
“Lando may be the only one to try, but there is something at stake with the constructors’ title and he is not as tough as Max on the track, ready to risk everything. He wants to race clean, that is understandable, but it also gives it an image that is not good for the future.”
“If he immediately finds himself fighting for the title with Max in 2025, he must not give in and show that he is ready for anything too.”
